Milwaukee Bucks: Regrading the renowned P.J. Tucker trade after title
By Dalton Sell
What the Milwaukee Bucks traded away in the P.J. Tucker deal
Upon viewing the trade package that the Bucks sent to the Rockets in the Tucker deal, it seemed clear that Milwaukee was the winner. They traded D.J. Augustin, D.J. Wilson, a 2023 first rounder, and the rights to swap a 2021 second rounder in the deal.
Augustin was always likely to be included in the trade due to salary matching purposes, given the three-year deal worth $21 million he signed just months prior. That signing was viewed as a huge overpay from the beginning, which had people questioning Horst when it was announced. Yet, it did not matter as the Bucks managed to move that hefty salary in the deal, which killed two birds with one stone. Augustin never got his feet off the ground with the team as he struggled during his brief time in Milwaukee, which made this move all the better.
For more salary purposes, the Bucks included Wilson, the former first round selection, in the deal as well. Wilson showed potential periodically during his four years with the Bucks but never quite managed to carve out a steady role for himself. He was practically rotting away on Milwaukee’s bench when the move went down, and it was nice to see him get a bigger opportunity in Houston and show off his skills with a younger team. Wilson was also making solid money that season at around $4 million, so trading him for a piece that immediately contributed was solid work.
As for the draft picks, time will tell how things turn out with that first rounder in 2023. As they showed in the Jrue Holiday trade, the Bucks are willing to give up a requisite amount of draft capital if it means making a win-now move, which is precisely what they did with Tucker. They gave up plenty of pieces, but what did the Bucks get back?