The Milwaukee Bucks have been active in the first few days of 2023 NBA Free Agency.
Retaining Brook Lopez and Khris Middleton were the team’s big moves. It’s a good guess to say most of the league was expecting Lopez and Middleton back in Milwaukee uniforms on multi-year deals. Jae Crowder returning on a one-year deal will help, not to mention an entire season of basketball might allow him to get back to the level of play he was at in recent years.
Robin Lopez was simply just a depth signing, but adding Malik Beasley on a minimum contract is a great value pickup. Beasley takes a lot of threes and hits them at a good rate. He should fit in well with the Bucks offense. Despite the moves made so far, Milwaukee still needs a point guard. Here are three trades that would give them a solid addition at point guard.
3 trade packages that land the Milwaukee Bucks a point guard
A trade package between the Milwaukee Bucks and Orlando Magic
The Orlando Magic decided to add yet another piece to their backcourt and took Anthony Black with the sixth pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. They obviously see him as a future piece, as well as Jalen Suggs, who was a top-five pick just two years before. Cole Anthony is another guy they value at that position. Markelle Fultz has been very serviceable for Orlando at the one, but their best option may be clearing out room in the backcourt, especially the point guard position.
It would be hard to part ways with Fultz if you are just adding two more shooters to the depth chart, so the 2029 1st-round pick would be the enticing piece for the Magic in this particular deal. Milwaukee would just have to hope the pick is enough for them. This would be a no-brainer for Milwaukee, and they should definitely give Orlando a call considering their situation with their backcourt.
The former top overall pick seems to be finally finding his footing in the league. Fultz put up 14 points, 3.9 boards, and 5.7 assists for the Magic last season. He also added 1.5 steals per contest and a lot of grit on the defensive end. Fultz still needs to get a more reliable jumper, but it has gotten better. Other than shooting, he has really started to excel. Once again, this may not be the most enticing deal for Orlando, but getting a future first and clearing out room at the point guard are both positives.
A trade between the Milwaukee Bucks, Washington Wizards, and Indiana Pacers
Another situation the Bucks could take advantage of is the overcrowding at the point guard position in Washington. This deal has them giving up a second-round pick in 2030 and Grayson Allen. In return, they get Delon Wright and second rounders in 2025 and 2027.
Maybe the trade isn’t as specific as this, but the idea of grabbing Delon Wright and second round picks from these teams is a good one. This deal would be very advantageous for Milwaukee, and swapping the 2030 pick for picks in 2025 and 2027 would be a great return. Delon Wright also fits positional needs in Milwaukee and does a little bit of everything. Wright averaged 7.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 3.9 assists in 24 minutes for Washington last season. Wright has averaged at least a steal in 10 of his 12 seasons in the NBA, and it is no question that he plays solid defense on the perimeter.
Between the two second round picks and adding Wright as the backup point guard, this is a good trade for Milwaukee, considering Grayson Allen’s trade value. As far as Indiana’s involvement in the trade, they clear out a little room at the four but sacrifice a 2025 second round pick in the process for Grayson Allen, though getting the 2029 first from Washington helps even out the deal. This is a pretty complex trade considering the value of these three players, but it is a trade that can help all three teams without blowing things up.
A trade between the Milwaukee Bucks and Indiana Pacers
The Final of these three trades is an interesting one. Indiana is giving up a young playmaker for a solid rotation piece and second round pick. The price for Andrew Nembhard could be higher, or it could be lower, but either way, it is hard to gauge the price for a player like Nembhard.
I will be honest, watching him quite a bit at Gonzaga, I was not expecting him to be much of a threat in the league, but he was able to register a good rookie season. Nembhard averaged 9.5 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per contest on 44/35/79 shooting splits, which is pretty good for a rookie. One thing Nembhard demonstrated in his first season was his ability to pass. Watching him in the past, passing was one of the things I was skeptical about.
Nembhard certainly put those speculations to rest with the way he passed the ball in his first season. He generally had high assist numbers in the particular games that Tyrese Haliburton missed. He also averaged almost 10 assists per game in the last 6 games of the season. Specifically, after the all-star break, Nembhard was scoring and assisting the basketball at a much higher rate, and as the season went on, he seemed to become more comfortable and used to the speed of the NBA.
Acquiring a young playmaker like Nembhard for this particular price would be a great move for Milwaukee. This would add youth, potential, and positional needs for the Bucks. One other thing to consider is the possibility of Nembhard growing into a bigger future role for the Bucks.
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