With the Milwaukee Bucks not finalizing the Khris Middleton-Kyle Kuzma trade early on Wednesday, many speculated that they were aiming to expand it.
Indeed, ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania reports that the New York Knicks are getting in on it and sending Jericho Sims to Milwaukee. Charania added in a later report that the Bucks are sending out Delon Wright and cash to New York to make this work. It's been a busy day for Milwaukee, who now have three new faces in the fold amid an ongoing roster retooling.
The Milwaukee Bucks add a much-needed big man
For months, it's been clear that the Bucks need to try something new at the center spot. Brook Lopez and Bobby Portis are certainly not the spriest duo, and it's hurt the team on multiple occasions. When either player gets dragged out to the perimeter defensively, it's oftentimes resulted in a blow-by and an easy bucket for the opposing scorer. This team needed a different type of center.
While Sims is not a game-changer, he does check off a lot of boxes regarding what the Bucks need at the center spot. He's still fairly young at 26, he's athletic and he's a strong defender. In fact, back in December, the New York Post's Stefan Bondy wrote an article detailing how Sims was New York's "under-the-radar defensive juggernaut." That should be music to Milwaukee Bucks fan's ears.
Swapping Sims for Wright is a solid move for Milwaukee. While the signing had potential when it first went down, Wright never consistently cracked the rotation. He was replaced by Ryan Rollins, who has been a strong emerging backup point guard behind Damian Lillard. It's also important to note that the Bucks still have all of their draft picks after this, including the one they received from Washington in this particular deal.
One has to now wonder if this trade makes either of Milwaukee's big men expendable. Of course, the trade for Kuzma got them out of the second apron, and they have much more flexibility to combine contracts on the roster. If there is a deal out there they like that includes one of the bigs, the Bucks now have a solid young backup on a team-friendly deal that could make it easier to move them.
So far, the Milwaukee Bucks have made some major adjustments to their roster, and with many more hours to go until the NBA Trade Deadline ends, they may not be done either.
Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis.