Milwaukee Bucks: Malcolm Brogdon officially introduced by Indiana Pacers

A couple of days after the sign-and-trade deal was officially announced by the Milwaukee Bucks, Malcolm Brogdon was introduced by the Indiana Pacers on Monday.

If the fact that Malcolm Brogdon is no longer a member of the Milwaukee Bucks had yet to really hit home for some fans over the first week of free agency, that likely changed early on Monday morning when he was officially unveiled by his new team, the Indiana Pacers.

The Bucks officially announced the sign-and-trade deal that sent the former Rookie of the Year to the Pacers over the weekend, and on Monday a press conference was held in Indiana to officially introduce Brogdon with his new team.

Brogdon sat flanked by Pacers general manager Kevin Pritchard and head coach Nate McMillan, while also holding up the No. 7 jersey he will wear with Indiana going forward.

7️⃣ pic.twitter.com/RPL6twAEvI
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) July 8, 2019

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Opening up the press conference, Pritchard revealed that Brogdon had been one of the Pacers’ primary targets heading into offseason, yet they had only considered signing him as a “10 percent” chance prior to it becoming a reality.

Echoing some of the reporting around the deal, specifically coming from ESPN’s Brian Windhorst on a recent episode of The Woj Pod, Pritchard also made special mention of how instrumental a phone call from Pacers owner Herb Simon to Bucks ownership proved in the process. According to Windhorst, Simon extended the courtesy in making it clear that he viewed the Bucks as “partners”, and he was eager to avoid the potentially messy route that comes with offer sheets and restricted free agency.

Of course, the Bucks obliged in that process and were rewarded with a first round pick and two second round picks from Indiana for their troubles.

Before passing the microphone to Brogdon, Pritchard made no secret of just how highly the Pacers value him, describing signing the 26-year-old as “epic” and “one of the great days in this franchise’s history”.

Opening up with his thoughts on joining the Pacers, Brogdon said:

"“I’m extremely excited to be here. It’s a great opportunity. It’s an organization where I immediately feel extremely valued. They have a great franchise player in Victor Oladipo, and they have great building blocks in Myles Turner, [Domantas] Sabonis, guys like that. And a great coach in Coach McMillan.”"

Brogdon later revealed that when he first entered the league his agents had wanted him to go to the Pacers, while a follow-up question from a reporter also revealed that Brogdon had shared his desire to play for Indiana to the team’s front office prior to the 2016 NBA Draft.

Also worth noting is the fact that Pacers coach McMillan stressed point guard was the team’s priority in free agency, and that was the position they see Brogdon playing both with and without Victor Oladipo. Considering Eric Bledsoe‘s place in Milwaukee’s starting lineup, that opportunity wasn’t one that was available to Brogdon with the Bucks of late, outside of leading second unit groups. Speaking on what role he feels best suited to later in the press conference, Brogdon said:

"“I think point guard is my best position; not even having the ball in my hands, it’s just about being able to make decisions, being able to influence what happens on the floor, and bring guys together and lead them to win.”"

For the Bucks, life without Brogdon began immediately as they wasted no time in wrapping up a deal for Wesley Matthews soon after their agreement with Indiana, but the reality is the Bucks will have a tough time replacing what the newest member of the Pacers provided them.

Whether it’s in the form of Matthews, or by more of a committee of guards and wings, Milwaukee’s season will undoubtedly be shaped by how well they adapt to the biggest change of their offseason.