Milwaukee Bucks: Grades and reactions for the George Hill trade

Trade motivation

I’d have little doubt that George Hill was actively a target for the Bucks, as a deal for the veteran point guard offered the rare possibility of achieving multiple goals in one fell swoop.

Adding Hill makes the Bucks better now, brings in a player who already has a strong relationship and understanding with Coach Budenholzer, has years of playoff experience and success to draw upon, and also takes on an overblown salary that’s just short enough to open up a world of options.

What Hill will bring on the court is important, but when it boils down to it, the Bucks made this deal for financial reasons.

The willingness to part with another first round pick comes from weighing up the likely return of that selection compared to the cap space a deal like this can open up. In that regard, the trade becomes something close to a no-brainer.

Giannis Antetokounmpo is the only starter under contract for next season. At a minimum, if the Bucks want to bring this group back and give them every chance to flourish and kick on in the years ahead, they now have a much more realistic route to doing that.

It won’t guarantee the Bucks avoid the luxury tax, but it should certainly reduce a potential bill to keep the band together. With cap space opened up, the Bucks could look to bring Brook Lopez back on a full mid-level deal, while then going over the cap to tie down Khris Middleton, Bledsoe and Brogdon.

Alternatively, the Bucks also have a much more alluring option open to them. With Jason Smith’s expiring deal also acquired, the Bucks will have close to $25 million in cap space this summer, creating a viable path to opening up a max salary slot.

Perhaps it’s still a pipe dream to envision Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Kawhi Leonard or Klay Thompson opting to sign in Milwaukee as a free agent, but the Bucks will at least have the possibility of getting into those discussions now, while also being safe in the knowledge they could add a star and go over the cap to bring Middleton back too.

Either way, the deal has left Bucks general manager Jon Horst with options that seemed incredibly unlikely just 24 hours ago.