For years, the Milwaukee Bucks have gleefully traded their most valuable assets for proven players in favor of developing their own. Sometimes it worked. Sometimes it didn't. It sounds like they could try to do it again this summer. However, with the new CBA, drafting and developing talent has become an essential part of the game for financial reasons. Low-cost hidden gems can save teams. Ask OKC.
Ajay Mitchell was an overlooked second-round pick in 2024. Teams far and wide passed on him until OKC scooped him up. In just his second season, he's been arguably OKC's second-most important player this postseason. Under contract for several more years at an incredibly team-friendly rate, the guard is showing that teams don't need to gut their asset stash to be competitive.
Ajay Mitchell has been electric this postseason
When Jalen Williams went down with a hamstring injury, the Thunder's title defense could have been over. Not many teams lose their second-best player and remain competitive. OKC has, and one of the prominent reasons is because of Mitchell's emergence. In eight playoff contests, he's averaging a line of 18.8 points, 4.9 assists, four rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game. It's unbelievable.
How did OKC get him? Not by trading multiple first-rounders or moving off of their potential-filled young players. Instead, they pursued him through the draft and used a second-rounder. Since they drafted him, the second-year guard is on arguably the best deal in the NBA, taking home $3 million this season and $2.85 million over the next two seasons. With his production, that's unheard-of.
Teams like the Milwaukee Bucks will start scouting a little harder moving forward to find their own versions of Ajay Mitchell.
Bucks desperately need a draft hit this year
The Milwaukee Bucks haven't had many draft picks over the years, but when they have, they've often made baffling choices. AJ Johnson and Tyler Smith were both raw 19-year-olds who would require a lot of time to develop. Chris Livingston was far from polished. Bogoljub Markovic didn't spend a single second in the NBA this season. You won't find your own Ajay Mitchell with that line of thinking.
With a rare first-round pick, set to be 10th overall, the Milwaukee Bucks need whoever they take to be an immediate contributor if the goal is to remain competitive. Drafting for the future when a superstar like Giannis Antetokounmpo is on the payroll has never made sense. Rather than trading for a fellow star to convince him to stay, perhaps the Bucks can find him a young running mate.
Rather than having top-heavy rosters full of star players, the new wave in the NBA is finding gems on low-cost deals and filling out the payroll with depth. The Bucks' best bet would be following that lead. Low-cost gems like Ryan Rollins, AJ Green, and Cormac Ryan have been great pickups, but the Bucks need to keep the ball rolling in the NBA Draft consistently.
Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis.
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