The Milwaukee Bucks have been involved in plenty of fake trade proposals this NBA off-season, but this one may be the most talked about yet.
In his latest article for Bleacher Report, Zach Buckley broke down a trade involving every team’s worst contract. For the Bucks, Khris Middleton, fresh off an extension, was selected, and Buckley proposed a trade between Milwaukee and the Chicago Bulls. With all of that said, let us break the deal down from the perspective of both teams before handing it a letter grade.
The Milwaukee Bucks’ POV on this trade
This section will be incredibly short. The lone positive from Milwaukee’s perspective here is that an All-Star talent would be coming to town.
LaVine has really turned himself into a nice player over these past few seasons, having earned two All-Star nods in three years. Over the last four seasons, he’s averaged 25.5 points while shooting a strong 39 percent from 3-point range. A scorer like that would certainly form an interesting trio in Milwaukee alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday.
Also, it’s a bit odd that Middleton is classified as Milwaukee’s worst contract, as his new contract, worth $103 million over three years, isn’t all too bad. He could have demanded even more, but he decided to take a pay cut to return. Sure, he dealt with injuries last season, but as he started to get his legs back under him, he looked good. If this is the Bucks’ worst contract, that’s not too bad.
Aside from getting a former All-Star player who is still young at 28 years old, there is not much to love about this trade at all. The problem here isn’t about what the Bucks would be receiving; it’s about what they would be giving up. Fans would be calling for General Manager Jon Horst’s job if he made this trade.
That said, let us move on and look at Chicago’s point of view when it comes to this trade package.
The Chicago Bulls’ POV on this trade
There are rumors swirling about Zach LaVine’s availability. Yahoo Sports’ NBA insider Jake Fischer reported in June that the Bulls have “checked the temperature” on LaVine’s market. If they are in the market for a LaVine trade to retool their roster, this trade with the Milwaukee Bucks could be of some interest, due to the cache of pieces they’d be getting.
Middleton isn’t as young or athletic as LaVine, but he’s still an excellent scorer who has proven to be a capable No. 2 on a championship team. He’d be a quality piece for the Bulls as they aim to get back into contention. On top of that, his contract isn’t all too bad in the grand scheme of things, so they could always potentially flip him for more assets down the line.
After the 2022 NBA Playoffs, where the Bucks and Bulls met in the first round, it would be pretty hard for a lot of Bulls fans to welcome in Grayson Allen. However, from a basketball standpoint, it makes sense to get a starting caliber shooting guard who is an above-average perimeter shooter when the opportunity presents itself.
The other two assets in this deal could be the most intriguing of them all for Chicago. Given that the first rounder is six years away, it could become valuable, as no one knows what the Bucks will look like then. MarJon Beauchamp is Milwaukee’s most potential-filled young player, so he would undoubtedly be of interest in no shortage of potential trades.
These players would give the Bulls a more well-balanced core while also adding a valuable pick.
The grade on this deal between the Milwaukee Bucks and Chicago Bulls
This is not a good trade for the Milwaukee Bucks.
There are Bucks fans who would argue that trading Middleton for LaVine straight up would be an immediate mistake. That’s certainly a fine debate, but adding all of the other pieces to this deal is not reasonable by any stretch. That’s not a knock on LaVine; it would just be insane for the Bucks to unload everything in their asset stash in this proposed deal.
Grayson Allen could be moved under the right circumstances, but MarJon Beauchamp and the first round pick in 2029 need to be protected more. Those are two incredibly valuable assets that must not be parted with unless it’s for something greater. In particular, Beauchamp could end up being a very important contributor for the Milwaukee Bucks next season and beyond.
If the Milwaukee Bucks were to do anything like this involving this many pieces, it would have to be for a bonafide star who could be a needle-tipper. They’d be getting worse in this deal while also losing out on several of their best assets. This is a HARD pass.
BTBP Grade: F
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