Milwaukee Bucks: Trade value power rankings ahead of the deadline

5. Eric Bledsoe

Now that we’re into the starting lineup of the Bucks, things get interesting. With every starter for Milwaukee, besides Giannis, being able to become a free agent after this offseason, it’s tricky to gauge who has the most trade value.

After much deliberating and back and forth, I decided to go with Bledsoe at the No. 5 spot, essentially making him the least valuable starter for the Bucks.

I’m not saying Bledsoe isn’t good, I can even make the argument he’s the Bucks’ second-best player, but other factors decrease his trade value.

As mentioned, he’ll be an unrestricted free agent after this season. That immediately plummets Bledsoe’s value as most teams aren’t going to give up much for essentially a rental, as Bledsoe is likely to receive a pay-raise from someone this offseason.

A team could trade for Bledsoe with the intent of re-signing him, but Bledsoe is already 29 and in his ninth season. He’s not that old, but for a point guard whose best attribute is his athleticism, signing him to a contract that will mean paying him big money when he’s 32 or 33 and in his 12th or 13th season is a scary thought.

Bledsoe is still having a career year, posting a career-high in effective field goal percentage, despite shooting just 30 percent from the three-point line, and he is still a force on defense.

Bledsoe’s career year, though, also brings the question of whether it’s his own doing or from Budenholzer’s system. Would Bledsoe be as good without Budenholzer?

We saw Bledsoe last year and although he was good, he wasn’t nearly as efficient and collapsed in the playoffs.

Overall, Bledsoe is still a very good and important player for the Bucks, perhaps the team’s most important player outside of Giannis, but his contract and age drive down his value.

And honestly, the Bucks wouldn’t want to part with Bledsoe for anything less than a mega-deal, which another team is unlikely to offer anyway.