Assessing Clutch Points’ Donte DiVincenzo trade for the Milwaukee Bucks

The impending return of Donte DiVincenzo has many folks searching for potential trades for the guard. The breakout of Grayson Allen is seen by many as a reason for why the Milwaukee Bucks could move DiVincenzo as they have a surplus of guards.

It will be a little while before DiVincenzo looks like his old self again after missing so much time following ankle surgery, but we saw last year what he can do when he’s playing well. Expectations for the 24-year-old should be managed because of this, but he still has a track record that would be enticing to other teams.

DiVincenzo’s name has been thrown out in many trade scenarios recently, but one I found to be particularly interesting was from Jon Conahan of Clutch Points, who suggested a swap between the Bucks and Atlanta Hawks in a recent piece.

Assessing Clutch Points’ recent proposed trade for Donte DiVincenzo to the Atlanta Hawks

The piece centers around four trades that the Hawks could make to trade their young wing Cam Reddish, as they have been rumored to have been shopping him since the offseason. Conahan suggests a straight swap of Reddish for Donte DiVincenzo, which I found to be relatively intriguing.

First, from the Hawks’ perspective, DiVincenzo would give them another guard defender to play alongside Trae Young who has not necessarily been known for his defense so far in his career. He showed an ability to knock down 3s at a solid clip last season (nearly 38 percent on over five attempts per game) and is a solid secondary ball-handler and a good rebounder, especially on the offensive glass.

The problem for the Hawks would be that DiVincenzo would be joining a crowded guard room that already features Bogdan Bogdanovic (it would be very funny if these two ended up on the same team), Lou Williams, Kevin Huerter, and Delon Wright.

I would argue he’s a better defender than Bogdanovic, Williams, and Huerter but is not as good of a shooter as all three. It would also be a bit of a disservice to use DiVincenzo as a backup point guard to upgrade over Wright. He’s a good secondary ball-handler when paired with another guard (like Young or Jrue Holiday) that can take some of the pressure off.

Williams is having a rough year, however, so if this hypothetical trade were to go through, he could snatch some of his minutes in addition to filling the minutes left vacant by Reddish.

On to the more interesting aspect for Bucks fans, which is naturally the Bucks perspective. Reddish would instantly have a role for Milwaukee, especially considering how weak their small forward rotation has been this season.

They haven’t found much success with Rodney Hood, Jordan Nwora, Semi Ojeleye, or Wesley Matthews yet and a player like Reddish would immediately be the best wing off the bench.

He’s been a bit inconsistent throughout his career offensively, shooting 33.2 percent, 26.2 percent, and now 36.7 percent from 3 in his first three seasons. He has averaged over double-digit points per game numbers since entering the league, but it’s not necessarily efficient (career 50.5 percent true shooting).

What has been consistent for Reddish, especially the last couple of seasons, has been his defense. At 6’8″ and 218 pounds to go along with a 7’1″ wingspan he has the ideal frame to be a solid defender. Bucks fans saw how well he defended one-on-one in their Eastern Conference Finals matchup and at 22-years-old, he would be a long-term piece to add to their wing depth.

Reddish is playing 22.5 minutes per game for the Hawks so far this season, all off the bench. He has the talent to play a bigger role but has yet to realize that potential yet. Reddish wouldn’t get a starting opportunity with the Bucks, but playing on a championship contender with little competition for his minutes could give him some confidence.

If I were in the Bucks position, I would absolutely consider making this deal. Reddish is younger and fills a position of need while they don’t lose much at the defensive end and may actually improve there.

For the Hawks, I don’t see the fit. They’re already crowded enough as it is and the rumors have been that they want a first-round draft pick for Reddish instead of a player. They would have to pay DiVincenzo after the season and that’s one of the reasons why they’re looking to move Reddish because he’s a luxury piece that they won’t be able to pay.

If the Bucks were able to trade a draft pick (they don’t own a first-round pick for many years now) and some filler for Reddish, I would be in full support of that but it doesn’t seem likely.

There will be plenty of trade speculation surrounding the Bucks and DiVincenzo as we approach the trade deadline in early February, especially if DiVincenzo returns to the level we saw last season.