It's been an up-and-down season for the Milwaukee Bucks, posing the question of whether the front office will pull the trigger on a huge trade that could change the team's trajectory this season.
A question looming over the team has been whether they would move on from former All-Star and franchise legend Khris Middleton in order to better their chances at winning a title. There were slight rumors of the Bucks entertaining a move for Bradley Beal, but the bigger noise was from Florida, with Jimmy Butler being on Jon Horst and Co.'s radar.
Bleacher Report put out an article looking at one trade for every team, and the Bucks trade is very intriguing. It seems them part ways with Middleton for a former teammate of Damian Lillard as the Milwaukee Bucks find themselves a new third-scoring option.
Let's take a look at the deal and how it would work out for both parties.
Now, this would be a huge deal if it went down, but it is perhaps more realistic than a deal for Beal or Butler. The Phoenix Suns and Miami Heat are both very much looking to contend, while the Portland Trail Blazers are trying to find their best way forward with a number of young players with bright futures. Jerami Grant is one of the veterans possibly on the way out, with his contract and what he can bring to a contending team serving as compelling attributes.
The mock trade would see the Bucks add Grant and part ways with Middleton and their 2031 first-round pick, which would be unprotected. Financially, it is an easy swap with Middleton earning $31.7 million this season and Grant earning $29.8 million.
Where this becomes interesting is that Grant is 30 and is under contract until the 2026-27 season with a player option for the following season. Middleton is now 33 and has a player option for next season, which he would be more than likely to accept; it is worth just north of $34 million.
This feels like more of a trade that would be considered by both teams in their current cycles. Let's break down the deal and how each team would look after.
The Bucks' POV on this mock trade
This comes down to Horst and whether he wants to continue being loyal to Middleton and respect what he has done for the franchise or be bold and move him to find one of the best options possibly available in Grant.
The big factor is also if the coaching staff and front office think Middleton can get back to his best. He recently moved to the bench as they look to manage his minutes and find his form again, which is the prominent question looming over him.
This season, Middleton is averaging 12.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.8 assists on shooting splits of .463/.377/.839 across his 15 games. Those stats are not terrible, but the Milwaukee Bucks really need him to be close to the best version of himself, and this is not that.
If the Milwaukee Bucks did go ahead with this trade, they would also lose the playmaking of Middleton, which would then see them having to ask more from Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo. They could even potentially ask Ryan Rollins to take on more of a playmaking and facilitating role.
Grant has played alongside Lillard before. In their last season together, the forward put up 20.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game on strong splits of .475/.401/.813. This season, those numbers have dipped slightly, but the Blazers are trying to figure out their direction, with the likes of Scoot Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe, Donovan Clingan and more young talent all trying to fit in.
The 6-foot-7 Grant could possibly slot into the small forward position in the starting lineup with Taurean Prince heading back to the bench. Doc Rivers would likely experiment, as he has done multiple times this season, and Grant might be used off the bench to help support Bobby Portis, who has struggled to stay consistent when entering the game.
One rotation that would be fun is if the Bucks took Brook Lopez out, put Giannis at the five, Grant at the four and placed Gary Trent Jr. or AJ Green alongside Andre Jackson Jr. and Lillard. Grant is undersized to play the center role but would definitely help boost the Bucks' athleticism in the frontcourt. No backup for Lopez would still be a problem for Milwaukee.
Grant is a very good scorer, and whether the Bucks think he can do better in the coming seasons than Middleton is now is the big question here. For this season, though, it may very well be a move the Milwaukee Bucks decide to make.
Grade for Bucks: B+
The Trail Blazers' POV on this mock trade
Portland is very much in a rebuilding phase as they sit in the bottom three of the Western Conference and look for the player to hang their franchise's future on. Parting ways with Grant has been mentioned in rumors for a number of seasons now, but the Blazers keep on retaining him, possibly with the idea of being able to get a better return for him.
Grant, as mentioned, is still potentially under contract for three seasons and earning $36 million at 34 when he isn't an All-Star caliber player at 30. His value will likely have diminished a lot in the coming seasons, so the quicker they move, the better return they could possibly get.
Middleton brings a veteran presence and will only be there for the remainder of this season and next unless they move him on once again. What could be more intriguing for the Blazers is the 2031 draft pick. By then, who knows how the NBA will look, and Lillard will likely have retired by the age of 40. Giannis will be 36, and who knows how the rest of the roster will look.
The pick being unprotected is what could be the real draw here for the Blazers. Those aforementioned young players on the roster will be in their prime come 2031. That would leave them in a good position to chase a championship ring, which can allow them to bring in a good prospect or move an unprotected future pick to get a star to aid their roster and their goals.
Portland's front office would be questioning if they can get more for Grant, whether it be a young player, a pick in the coming seasons or if they just don't think Middleton will provide any use to them and wouldn't be able to move him on.
There are so many questions for both teams when it comes to making this deal, but it feels like the Blazers get a decent return here for Grant and would be considering it.
Grade for Blazers: A-
The Verdict
The deal created by Bleacher Report is an intirguing one from both sides, with both front offices needing to answer questions and whether they feel this trade fixes those issues.
For the Milwaukee Bucks, do they feel Middleton won't get back to his best and that Grant can bring them a step closer to a title this season and in coming years? He would be a solid third-scoring option, but he doesn't possess the clutch skills and playmaking ability of Middleton, and that would move those responsibilities all onto the shoulders of Lillard and Giannis. Middleton's big upside has been his ability to take pressure off others. Can Grant do that?
For the Blazers, it is a case of if they feel they can get more in return for Grant and if Middleton is of any use to them. The draft pick may well be of more interest to them as it would fit with their trajectory as a team moving forward.
Back to the Bucks. Grant does give them more athleticism and is still a very good third option. The lineup may be adjusted to see him slot in at the three or potentially come off the bench with Prince still being the starting small forward. Middleton, having double ankle surgery this offseason at his age, was always going to take time to make his return, but the question still looms over the franchise as to whether he can still be of use to them for this season.
It is a really enticing trade for both teams, and it is hard to feel who would actually "win" this trade as both teams get what they want, but how the front offices value their players is yet to be seen. The Bucks rumors surrounding Butler suggest they could be valuing Middleton a lot more than we think and that Grant doesn't quite move them to part ways with their former All-Star.
Overall, it is an interesting deal, and closer to the trade deadline, it could be one the Bucks pull the trigger on if they don't see a huge improvement from the team to challenge those at the top of the Eastern Conference.
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