Excluding their draft night deal to get Andre Jackson Jr. a few months back, the Milwaukee Bucks have not made a trade this off-season.
Even though there’s still time before the NBA season starts, it’s starting to look more and more as if the Bucks are content with their roster as is. While their group is solid, there is undoubtedly still room for improvement. The Bucks could use more shot creation on this roster, along with another point guard. Here’s a trade proposal that could knock out two birds with one stone.
The trade between the Milwaukee Bucks and Houston Rockets
This trade was proposed by FanSided’s Tyler Watts in his latest article for Behind the Buck Pass. In the deal, the Bucks would land Kevin Porter Jr. of the Houston Rockets in exchange for a pair of veteran wings in Grayson Allen and Pat Connaughon, as well as a pick swap long down the road in 2030. It’s certainly an interesting idea.
Every now and then, the draft night image of Porter wearing a Bucks cap makes its way around social media – he was drafted by the Bucks, whose pick belonged to the Detroit Pistons, before being dealt to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Fans have classified Porter as a what-if for the team, and this deal would bring things full circle by adding the 23-year-old guard.
The Bucks and Rockets have plenty of familiarity with one another when it comes to trade talks, notably for the P.J. Tucker deal. Let’s dive in and see if it would make sense for them to call each other once again to make this particular deal.
The Milwaukee Bucks’ perspective on this trade with the Houston Rockets
As mentioned previously, the Milwaukee Bucks need more shot creation and a backup point guard; Kevin Porter Jr. would provide both.
He is coming off his most productive scoring year to date, having averaged 19.2 points per game – 15.3 for his NBA career. Porter utilizes his shot-creating abilities to put his share of points on the board from everywhere on the floor. One area he has improved in mightily over the past two years is his 3-point shooting, having hit 37.1 percent of his tries on a mighty 6.7 attempts per contest.
Porter would be a seamless fit off of Milwaukee’s bench. He’d instantly give them the creation the team desperately needs from a reserve, putting points on the board in a hurry. While he would be likely Jrue Holiday’s backup, he could also play alongside Holiday to take on more of the offensive workload while Holiday focuses on his defensive tasks, which would help tremendously.
While Milwaukee would lose two key veterans in Grayson Allen and Pat Connaughton, this trade would open up minutes for younger players like MarJon Beauchamp, Andre Jackson Jr., A.J. Green, and others. On that same note, Porter would help with adding youth to this rotation, giving them a 23-year-old guard who has plenty of room to grow.
The Houston Rockets’ perspective on this trade with the Milwaukee Bucks
Many fans might wonder why the Houston Rockets would consider this particular deal with the Milwaukee Bucks, but one big reason could be their bloatedness when it comes to ball-handlers.
In addition to Porter, Jalen Green, Fred VanVleet, Amen Thompson, and Aaron Holiday all need the ball in their hands at times. That’s a lot of mouths to feed, so perhaps the Rockets would consider moving one of their ball-handlers to clear out room for the other guys. It would make sense, as the front office just handed VanVleet $128 million and drafted Thompson fourth overall.
In this deal, the Rockets would be adding two veterans who do not need the ball as much and can serve more as perimeter threats and hustle guys. As a young team looking to leap into contention next season, Houston could benefit from adding some experienced veterans. Connaughton is an NBA champion and battle-tested veteran, while Allen is a solid starting shooting guard.
The Rockets could also move either player in another deal down the line, as other teams could find them quite useful. Teams are always in the hunt for more wings, and Connaughton or Allen would likely fetch a solid return ahead of the 2024 NBA Trade Deadline. That would allow the Rockets to stock up on their assets down the line if they don’t want the players.
That pick swap could also be valuable, as there’s no telling what the Milwaukee Bucks will look like seven years down the line.
In all likelihood, the Houston Rockets do not make this particular trade with the Milwaukee Bucks.
It’s unclear if they would even entertain trading Porter, too many ball-handlers in town or not. Yet, even if they were open to the idea, they could likely fetch a better return than this. That’s certainly not a knock on Connaughton or Allen, but more so that the Bucks would just be offering a swap for Porter’s services in terms of draft capital. He’s undeniably worth more than that in a trade.
This would be a great deal for the Bucks due to their backup point guard and shot-creation needs, but it is likely nothing more than a pipe dream. The Bucks would be wise to seek out a trade to fill these holes on their roster, but it’s unlikely to come from this trade, at least for now. They should certainly keep tabs on Kevin Porter Jr.’s trade availability, though.
Though unlikely, this would be a great move for the Milwaukee Bucks. It will be interesting to see if the team has plans for more moves this off-season or if they are content with their current roster.
BTBP Grade: A
Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis and trade breakdowns this NBA off-season.