What the Bucks traded for
In exchange for not standing in Indiana’s way of a deal with Brogdon, not matching an offer sheet and, perhaps most importantly for the Pacers, allowing a deal to be completed early before other teams could get involved, Milwaukee got a chance to replenish their draft stocks somewhat.
The exact details on what years the picks the Pacers are sending will convey, and whether there are any protections on them, remains unclear as of this time of writing, but Milwaukee’s haul amounts to a first round pick and two second rounders in some capacity.
Milwaukee will almost certainly send its first round pick to Phoenix next year completing their obligations from the Eric Bledsoe trade, while their second round pick is headed for New Orleans. The Bucks’ second rounder was set for Indiana in 2021, although it would be no surprise if they have re-obtained the rights to that selection in this deal. Additionally, Milwaukee’s 2022 first round pick is set for Cleveland, having been included in the John Henson and Matthew Dellavedova salary dump back in December.
Facing a potentially brutal cap squeeze for the foreseeable future, draft picks are incredibly valuable to the Bucks. Cheap, cost-controlled assets are hard to come by in the NBA, and the draft represents one of the few somewhat realistic areas where the Bucks could potentially add another star-caliber talent in the coming years, although it would still involve somehow hitting the jackpot with a non-lottery pick.
Of course, the question remains as to what the picks will be used for. This return could look great in time if the Bucks land on the next Brogdon using one of the draft picks, but it’s arguably more likely that they could just become the next tool to utilize in salary dumps if Sterling Brown‘s free agency becomes costly next year, or dodging the tax becomes a longer running concern with Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s supermax set to be on the table next summer.
Getting three picks back for a player they weren’t willing to pay this particular deal to is a real positive, but in the end it’s what you do with the picks that matters most of all.