Milwaukee Bucks: Grades and reactions from the P.J. Tucker trade
By Dalton Sell
Milwaukee Bucks: Grades and reactions for the P.J. Tucker trade — What they traded away
Matching salaries was always the most prominent issue for the Bucks in any potential deal for Tucker, but they managed to pull it off by sending out D.J. Augustin and D.J. Wilson.
Wilson has hardly played this season in Milwaukee’s rotation by logging just 105 minutes over 12 appearances. It was clear that the fourth-year forward would be the first out the door in any potential deal from the Bucks before the deadline, given his $4.5 million salary. Now, the freshly turned 25-year-old has a chance to get an expanded role in Houston and show his worth before he enters free agency at the end of the season.
While Wilson was widely expected to be traded if the Bucks were to make any moves, moving Augustin certainly took some by surprise. Fresh off signing a three-year deal worth $21 million with Milwaukee this past offseason, this move signals that this team was ready to move on from the guard after a lackluster first impression. The 33-year-old was never able to find his footing with the Bucks, and it is clear that the team was ready to move in another direction.
Whether Augustin stays put in Houston remains to be seen as they shift towards a youth movement, but getting that salary off the books for the next few years is significant for the Bucks, given how poorly he had played.
As previously detailed, the Bucks also sent out a pair of picks in the deal. However, perhaps the move that was most out of left field was the inclusion of the Phoenix Suns and Torrey Craig. Wojnarowski soon followed up his original reporting that the Bucks had traded Craig to the Suns in exchange for cash considerations.
The forward had not been in Milwaukee’s rotation for a majority of the season after coming over in free agency. While it was assuring to know that the Bucks had a versatile defensive piece waiting for the call on their bench, Craig will now see a bigger role with Phoenix after appearing in just 18 games for Milwaukee.