Looking past the obvious returns and their basketball merits, if there's anything this latest trade tells us, it's that the Milwaukee Bucks are finally embracing the ebbs and flows of what it means to be a rebuilding team in the modern NBA.
According to ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania, the Milwaukee Bucks have acquired Caris LeVert and two second-round picks in exchange for Taurean Prince and Gary Harris in a swap with the Detroit Pistons. Considering where Prince and Harris are in their respective careers and the seasons they've been putting in as of late, that's nothing short of a win for Jon Horst and company.
The Milwaukee Bucks have finally chosen a side after trading Giannis
It's obviously just two second-rounders, the value of which is always up in the air, but this trade should tell us a bit about where the Bucks see their future going forward. And while it's not what some of us are ready to hear at this point in time, it also paints a picture of a team that's finally ready to move on from everything it lost throughout the most eventful postseason in franchise history thus far.
Before they finally traded Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Bucks were, according to recent reports, set on putting in a competitive season this year with or without the services of the Greek Freak. That was according to NBA insider Kevin O'Connor, who said that the Bucks were looking to remain competitive when assessing a possible Jaylen Brown trade.
But the Bucks' latest move confirms what fans have been waiting to see: there are no delusions of that anymore going forward. The Bucks know they're not sniffing the late playoff stages any time soon, and they're not looking to make any moves that bring them closer to that target, at least for the time being. Because that's not what rebuilding teams with hardly any assets do.
LeVert is a fine player, but he's one you flip eventually for more assets, not one you intentionally land in hopes of getting better towards competing. If this trade is any indication, it's looking like Jon Horst and company are finally aligned on making moves that make them more ready in the long-term rather than get better in the present. And that should be good news for Bucks fans who have long been advocating for them to repopulate the cupboards the right way.
Life after Giannis has arrived, and the Bucks have made the first steps to move forward as an organization
As this writer has already pointed out, this move is just the latest in what seems to be a near-total philosophical shift from within the Bucks organization. Gone are the days of taking every risk possible in the name of winning. From here on out, the Bucks have to be more systematic about putting together the pieces they need to return to championship contention.
So here's what is going to happen going forward. The Bucks are going to continue to take deals that are essentially salary dumps from teams who no longer have need for their more expensive pieces. They take those if and only if said teams are willing to attach draft capital to it. We have seen this work with the likes of the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Memphis Grizzlies. Hopefully we see more of these savvy business moves going forward to replenish the team's draft stores.
The Bucks are finally embracing life after Giannis. No more rebuilding and competing simultaneously.
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