Milwaukee Bucks: Grades and reactions for the Nikola Mirotic trade

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - JANUARY 09:(Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - JANUARY 09:(Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) /
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NEW ORLEANS, LA – OCTOBER 23: (Photo by Layne Murdoch Jr./NBAE via Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LA – OCTOBER 23: (Photo by Layne Murdoch Jr./NBAE via Getty Images) /

The Milwaukee Bucks completed two days worth of trade dealings on Thursday, but did they make the right move in acquiring Nikola Mirotic?

If there’s one big takeaway from how general manager Jon Horst and his front office have operated at the trade deadline, it’s that the Milwaukee Bucks are not messing around.

In the face of major moves from rivals in recent days, the Bucks showed no intentions of relinquishing their hold on the Eastern Conference’s top spot.

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What originally started as a pretty perfunctory Thon Maker for Stanley Johnson trade on Wednesday, was finalized on Thursday as a three-team deal that brings Nikola Mirotic to Milwaukee.

As my colleague Jordan Treske outlined, the Bucks sent Jason Smith to the Pelicans along with four second round picks, offloaded Thon Maker to Detroit, while the Pistons’ Stanley Johnson also landed in New Orleans.

In shedding a player in their net returns, the Bucks also opened up a valuable roster spot heading into a particularly strong buyout market. In other words, not only did the Bucks add Mirotic, but they now have an opportunity to further upgrade their depth.

Considering Maker and Smith were both out of the rotation, that’s a major step forward for what was already the league’s best team in terms of record.

Does all of this equate to a great decision from the Bucks’ front office, though? Let’s take a much closer look at the elements of the deal to find out.