In the hours leading up to the NBA Trade Deadline, all eyes are on the Milwaukee Bucks, who will be on the phone until the buzzer sounds.
Indeed, per ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania, the Bucks now have traded Patrick Baldwin Jr. to the San Antonio Spurs for cash. Baldwin was acquired in the deal centered around Kyle Kuzma, and it felt like this could be on the horizon. Although it would have been a nice story for the Wisconsin native to suit up for the Bucks, Milwaukee needed to clear a roster spot to sign a rising guard.
The Milwaukee Bucks can now sign Ryan Rollins to a standard contract
Ryan Rollins has been a nice success story for the Milwaukee Bucks. Playing on a two-way contract, he surpassed veteran Delon Wright, who is now with the New York Knicks, in the backup point guard pecking order due to his shooting, defense and athleticism. The 22-year-old has earned the trust of his teammates and Doc Rivers, and he's been a significant part of Milwaukee's youth movement.
It felt inevitable that the Bucks would clear a roster spot for him, as Rollins' two-way contract limits his ability to play the entire regular season and the NBA Playoffs. Now, they can get rid of that worry and hand him a legitimate contract, which should come shortly after the deadline. Keeping Rollins on his two-way deal and not having him eligible to play down the stretch would be flat-out unthinkable, especially after trading away both Wright and AJ Johnson, two other ball-handling guards.
Baldwin, who just turned 22, undoubtedly had some potential to be a nice forward for the Bucks in time. However, it's clear that this group is positioning themselves for the present, and opening up a spot for a proven player like Rollins makes more sense than keeping him, especially since there may not have been many minutes for him with Kuzma playing a similar role.
The Bucks have now added Kyle Kuzma and Jericho Sims to the roster while parting ways with the likes of Khris Middleton, Delon Wright, AJ Johnson and Patrick Baldwin Jr. Though the Bucks have added the youth and athleticism they've been craving, it would not be shocking if they still had one or two more trades in them by the time the 2 p.m. CT deadline ended. Time will tell.
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