Milwaukee Bucks: Grades and reactions for the Malcolm Brogdon sign and trade

In a surprising move, the Milwaukee Bucks dealt Malcolm Brogdon to the Indiana Pacers via sign-and-trade. How does the deal grade for Milwaukee, though?

It was clear in the run-up to free agency that the Milwaukee Bucks were going to face considerable competition if they wanted to hold on to Malcolm Brogdon. Still, I’m not sure anyone could have foreseen the situation that ultimately played out on Sunday evening.

Rather than a long, drawn out process involving an offer sheet waiting game and the Bucks waiting and deciding whether to match, the Brogdon band-aid was effectively pulled off when everyone was distracted by the flurry of free agency happenings elsewhere.

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The end result: Malcolm Brogdon agreed to a four-year, $85 million contract with the Indiana Pacers, and will be signed and traded from the Bucks once the moratorium passes later in the week.

Just like that, the former Rookie of the Year, recently minted member of the 50-40-90 club, and key cog of Milwaukee’s 60-win season will be plying his trade with a divisional rival and a legitimate threat in the latter stages of theEastern Conference playoffs.

How did the Bucks and Brogdon reach this point, and what are the considerations that likely went into Milwaukee’s decision to let him leave?

There’s a lot to unpack, so without further ado, let’s dive deep into all of it before offering up a final grade for the deal.