Grade the trade: Bucks improve backcourt by trading Bobby Portis in mock deal

When discussing what the Milwaukee Bucks' needs and areas to address this offseason, it's hard not to start with their backcourt.

The Damian Lillard trade modified what the team needed in that area, but they never really had the chance to fix the roster mid-season, so this summer feels like the perfect time for that. Due to that, most of the potential trade ideas fans proposed seem to go in that direction.

The Bucks tried to address their lack of defense and physicality in their backcourt mid-season by bringing in Patrick Beverley, who not only delivered as a bench player but even got to be a starter when the most important part of the season came.

Yet, he felt like a painkiller more than like a real antidote. The fit wasn't perfect, and there were still some problems to solve. Since he's a free agent this off-season, it's not even guaranteed that he'll be on the team when training camp comes.

Which player could fix the team, then? Well, Jackson Gross from Brew Hoop has some ideas, and we'll discuss one of their recent trade proposals right now.

Analyzing the mock trade between the Bucks and Bulls

In this trade, Milwaukee trades Bobby Portis, MarJon Beauchamp and their 2024 first-round pick to the Chicago Bulls, who send Alex Caruso in return. With this, the Bucks would get a defensive-minded guard known for his relentless fight, adding some of the athleticism and intensity they seem to lack.

Caruso has already proven he can be a key piece on a contender, as he was on the Lakers team that won the championship in 2020. Since he got a bigger role in Chicago, he's built himself a pretty huge reputation.

He was selected to the First Team All-Defense in 2023 and got the Second Team nod this past year, proving himself as one of the most impactful players on that end of the floor. And if that happened on a Bulls team that doesn't really have the best rim protectors, one can imagine his ceiling getting even higher with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez as his allies.

Many will think this trade undersells Caruso. We'll get to the Bulls' point of view later, but he's probably their most tradable piece, and if they decide to move him, it's tough to imagine them asking for less than two first-round picks. Draft capital seems to be the most valuable currency in the NBA nowadays, while role players are just salary fillers most of the time.

That said, let's start taking a look by examining how this trade would impact the two teams involved before giving each franchise a letter grade.