Malcolm Brogdon's sudden retirement might hurt the Knicks more than anyone saw coming, and Milwaukee should be sending him a thank-you card right about now.
In case you missed it, the former Bucks Rookie of the Year decided he was walking away from basketball just weeks before the season started. Obviously, that leaves the contending New York Knicks in a legitimately bad spot. After all, the team signed him to a non-guaranteed, one-year contract with the goal of adding depth behind starting point guard Jalen Brunson.
Now they're scrambling to find someone, anyone, who can run an NBA offense when Brunson sits. But even when they find a backup to their would-be backup, he likely won't be giving them what Brogdon could have.
Malcolm Brogdon's retirement weakens the Knicks
The timing couldn't be worse for the Knicks (or for that matter, better for the Bucks).
New York just lost their primary backup plan at the most important position in modern basketball, and the free agent market in late October is basically a wasteland. They're not finding anyone remotely close to Brogdon's caliber at this point.
Just look at the names left on the point guard board. There's 37-year-old Patty Mills. Maybe the Knicks could use 34-year-old Cory Joseph. Or how about 31-year-old Elfrid Payton?
It's good news no matter how you slice it. The Bucks need them as weak as possible in a competitive Eastern Conference. Every team Milwaukee doesn't have to worry about is one less obstacle between them and actually making it out of the first round for once. The Knicks were already a threat with their size and depth, and now they have a glaring weakness that teams can exploit.
Imagine an Eastern Conference playoff series between these two teams if it comes down to it. Whoever slots into the point guard spot in Brunson's place will have to face one of Cole Anthony or Ryan Rollins.
Brunson's going to have to play 38-ish minutes a night if New York wants to stay competitive, which means he's getting worn down by January and probably breaking down by the playoffs. That's exactly what Milwaukee needs from a conference rival.
But Brogdon's retirement also speaks to something bigger about where his body was at. The guy's been fighting injuries for years, dealt with constant nagging issues that kept him off the court. If he's calling it quits at 32, that tells you everything about how much his body had left to give.
For Milwaukee fans who watched Brogdon leave in free agency years ago, this feels like some kind of cosmic justice. He left for a bigger contract, bounced around the league, and now his final NBA act is inadvertently helping the Bucks by torpedoing a division rival's depth.
At the same time, Bucks fans should remember the former ROTY fondly as one of the brightest spots in an era when Giannis Antetokounmpo and company were still finding their footing in the association.
The Eastern Conference just got a little easier for Milwaukee to navigate. Sometimes the best moves are the ones other players make for you.