Milwaukee Bucks: 4 players to target in the trade market
By Robby Cowles
DeMarre Carroll
DeMarre Carroll played two seasons under current Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer while he was at Atlanta from 2013-2015. Before his stint under coach Bud, Carroll was little more than a benchwarmer, and a journeyman wing who was merely competent instead of productive.
After arriving in Atlanta, Carroll fully embraced Budenholzer’s approach to outside shooting and became one of the most prominent 3-and-D players in the league. Once he hit free agency after two years in Atlanta, he cashed in with a new four-year, $60 million contract with the Toronto Raptors.
Now, Carroll is entering the last year of his contract and has since been traded to the Brooklyn Nets. The Nets are in full rebuild mode with a focus on clearing cap space, developing young talent and acquiring assets to chase stars through trades and free agency. Carroll, who is 32, is clearly not a part of their future plans and offers little more than veteran leadership.
The Bucks should seriously consider reuniting Carroll and Budenholzer. Carroll still offers solid defense and a good shooting stroke from deep (37 percent from behind the arc last season).
Plus, being back on a winning team with his old coach could rejuvenate the veteran to play like he did in his glory days of Atlanta, when he shot over 39 percent from three-point land, while regularly taking the toughest assignment on defense.
In today’s position-less NBA, especially for a Bucks team that requires strong perimeter play to properly execute its coach’s offensive and defensive schemes, you can never have enough 6’8″ wings who can shoot the ball. Having Carroll come off the bench, even filling into the starting lineup on occasion, would be a great weapon for the Bucks when it comes to making a playoff push.
Plus, there are a lot of question marks when it comes to the Bucks perimeter players outside of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, Eric Bledsoe and Malcolm Brogdon. Tony Snell‘s shooting completely disappeared at the end of last year, Pat Connaughton has never played more than a limited bench role for the Trail Blazers, Sterling Brown has shown potential but only in glimpses and Donte DiVincenzo is just a rookie.
Having a safety-net in the form of Carroll would be a great asset for the Bucks. They likely wouldn’t have to give up too much for him either. Perhaps a trade could even be worked out centered around swapping Matthew Dellavedova and probably D.J. Wilson for Carroll.
The Bucks would get a veteran presence and proven commodity, and the Nets would get a raw, recent first round pick who can get more playing time and have a chance to prove himself.
Proposed trade: Nets receive Dellavedova, Wilson and Bucks 2020 second Round pick for DeMarre Carroll