Trade No. 2 – Milwaukee Bucks acquire solid backup big with Gorgui Dieng
Although the Bucks recently signed DeMarcus Cousins, it remains to be seen how his body will hold up over the course of an 82 game season, so needless to say, it would be nice to have a backup plan. This comes in the form of journeyman center Gorgui Dieng, who, although he has bounced around the league, has proven himself as a solid backup center.
Dieng has transformed himself into a solid floor-spacing center in the last couple years, shooting 42 percent from three on 1.8 attempts a game last year and 40 percent from on 1.4 attempts a game this year with Atlanta. Although he is not a volume shooter, he can absolutely shoot it when he needs to. On Atlanta’s side, Onyeka Okongwu has begun to emerge as the primary backup big, leaving Dieng with little to no minutes. Also, Deandre Hunter has shown multiple times that he struggles to stay healthy, most recently with a wrist injury that has kept him sidelined since November 14.
Here, the Hawks simply get more bodies at a position of need at the wing spot with Semi Ojeleye and Rodney Hood. Overall, this is a solid deal for both teams and provides an insurance policy at positions of need at center for the Bucks and at wing for the Hawks.