At the trade deadline this past season, the Los Angeles Clippers looked at Kevin Porter Jr. and MarJon Beauchamp and said, "Yes, we'll take the guy who can't crack a rotation." On a basketball level, it's wild stuff no matter which way you slice it.
Of course, there's a reason that the move was heavily criticized even among Bucks fans. Porter Jr.'s reputation is what it is, and the Clippers, too, were maligned for taking on that reputational risk for as long as they did.
Circumstances were different then, but here's where we're at right now: Porter Jr. is penciled in as Milwaukee's starting point guard for at least this season, while nobody really knows where Beauchamp is. What we know is that he's still looking for a team and still trying to convince someone he's worth a roster spot. That should tell you everything about how this trade worked out.
The Bucks trading their first-round selection looks better by the day
Kevin Porter Jr. for MarJon Beauchamp. That's it. That's the trade. The Clippers gave up a legitimate NBA rotation player for a guy who's currently sitting at home without a contract. No picks, no cash considerations, just a simple swap that's looking more lopsided by the day.
KPJ has his own baggage to deal with, and everyone knows that. But purely as a basketball player, this was highway robbery. He's got decent size at 6-foot-4, can create his own shot, and brings the kind of athletic playmaking Milwaukee desperately needs in their backcourt.
In the games he played in Bucks green, he showed X-factor potential time and time again. Through just 30 showings thus for Milwaukee, KPJ averaged 11.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 3.7 assists a night.
Meanwhile, Beauchamp is still looking for his first real NBA role three years into his career after failing to find a spot on the defensive-minded Knicks as a defense-first wing. Through three years, he put up just 4.2 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 0.6 assists per game for the Milwaukee Bucks.
It's clear at this point that teams around the league have seen enough of Beauchamp to know what they're getting, and apparently, they're not impressed.
Once the first-round pick that was promised as their solution at the wing position, Beauchamp showed nothing more than flashes of potential. Three seasons in, and teams have figured out what he is: a guy who looks like he should be good at basketball but just isn't. The athleticism is there, the shooting and defense depend on the day, but the instincts aren't.
The Clippers basically traded a legitimate NBA player for a G League lifer and somehow convinced themselves they got the better end of the deal. Meanwhile, Milwaukee's sitting pretty with a starter-quality guard they got for free.
While other teams were making splashy signings and giving up assets, the Milwaukee Bucks just waited for someone else to make a mistake. LA handed them a rotation player for nothing, and now they get to watch that decision backfire in real time.
Not bad for a throwaway trade nobody saw coming.