Last season, the Milwaukee Bucks pulled off a sensational trade when they moved Cole Anthony and Amir Coffey to acquire Ousmane Dieng. The French forward just signed a three-year, $17.5 million deal with the team, while Anthony is heading to Australia after signing a one-year deal with Melbourne United, reinforcing the Bucks' steal of a trade.
Ousmane Dieng trade gets better and better
Dieng averaged 11 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.6 assists in 30 games with the Bucks. He showed glimpses of what he could do with the Thunder, but in Wisconsin, the leash was off, and he was really able to get a real run in the NBA, which earned him a multi-year deal.
Anthony's spell in Milwaukee started positively, with him scoring a season-high 23 points in his second game for the team. Inconsistent play led to up-and-down minutes, and he fell out of the rotation in December, struggling to find his way back in.
Coffey has also left the NBA, with him heading to Europe and joining Hapoel Tel Aviv. The other part of the deal saw center Nick Richards flipped to Chicago to acquire Dieng. Richards is still a free agent. The Bucks came out of the trade with the best player with the highest ceiling by parting ways with two players who had fallen out of the rotation.
Anthony was waived by the Phoenix Suns in February without featuring in a single game. Now, he'll team up with another former Buck in Joe Ingles after the two actually appeared in 75 games together for the Magic previously.
Bucks backcourt in a far better spot
Last season, the Bucks found it tough to find a backcourt partner for Ryan Rollins. Kevin Porter Jr. provided an offensive spark, but Doc Rivers never found a consistent pairing. Anthony showed glimpses at first but fell out of favor quickly before the trade. Milwaukee is in a much better spot now with its guard rotation.
Rollins and Porter have another year under their belt, with Tyler Herro providing scoring at the shooting guard position and Kasparas Jakucionis being a traditional point guard with plenty of upside. Brayden Burries was sensational during Summer League and will be a real rotational option this season, and Kam Jones, on a two-way deal, may earn game time too.
Anthony has only just turned 26, so his NBA dream is far from over. For now, a year overseas with him as the lead guy will certainly help him find his rhythm again to earn a contract back in the league. For Milwaukee, this steal of a trade looks better by the day.
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