The Milwaukee Bucks were reportedly sniffing around Jerami Grant's availability at the trade deadline, but they will certainly be glad that nothing got over the finish line. After a solid regular season, Grant's production has fallen off a cliff through the Portland Trail Blazers' first three playoff games. He would not have been the magic fix to Milwaukee's issues.
Grant's playoff woes vindicate Bucks
In Portland's first three playoff outings, Grant is averaging 7.7 points, one rebound, and zero assists in 20.7 minutes per contest. Shooting efficiency has been an afterthought, sinking a mere 28 percent of his shots. That's a steep drop from his 18.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.1 assists while shooting 45.3 percent during the regular season. Jeez. Interested suitors may have gotten lucky.
Back in December, NBA insider Jake Fischer (subscription required) reported that the Bucks' interest in Grant has been longstanding. They apparently toyed around with trading for him this season, but those conversations likely came when the Milwaukee Bucks thought they still had a shot at making a run in the Eastern Conference.
Even then, though, Grant was never viewed as a needle-mover. While a better 3-point shooter, many said that Grant was essentially a slight upgrade from Kyle Kuzma but someone who would cost $10 million more to employ. For a team that had as many issues as the Milwaukee Bucks, the juice wasn't worth the squeeze, and they seemingly caught onto that.
Bucks took the right approach at the trade deadline
Rather than swinging a trade for what could have been a marginal upgrade that would have sacrificed more valuable assets, the Bucks largely stood pat. They quietly swung a trade for Ousmane Dieng, an afterthought for the OKC Thunder who blossomed into a nice rotation piece when actually given the opportunity to spread his wings, without giving up much at all.
There is something to learn there. As the Milwaukee Bucks have learned through smaller moves and the promotion of internal talent, not every move has to be a home-run swing. Sometimes, the best finds are hidden gems just itching for an opportunity. Dieng at his price tag offers far more upside than it would have taken to get Grant in Milwaukee.
Though their interest has been brewing for years, this poor playoff showing should finally put to bed the Milwaukee Bucks' rumored desire to land Jerami Grant.
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