Grade the trade: Bucks add established wing stopper in mock deal with Brooklyn Nets

Despite having 15 standard players on the roster locked up going forward, the Milwaukee Bucks still have a few questions remaining when it comes to their perimeter defense, even with the marked improvement over the past month.

It’s not as bad as it’s been made out to be, to be sure. The Bucks surged to an 11-2 record in December, through which they erected top-ten offensive, defensive, and net ratings. They’re very clearly starting to figure some things out, even if their strength of schedule left much to be lacking.

But through the 2023-24 season thus far, the Bucks have struggled to defend in isolation and slow down pick-and-roll ball-handlers. Even with the improvements, the past few losses against the Indiana Pacers are proof that some changes might still be needed in their roster construction.

A possible trade proposal between the Milwaukee Bucks and Brooklyn Nets

This trade was proposed by FanSided’s Max Griffith in one of his latest pieces for Behind the Buck Pass. It’s fairly straightforward: Milwaukee trades Pat Connaughton and their 2024 and 2027 (the former coming from Portland) to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for established forward Royce O’Neale.

Could such an addition actually help out both teams? Let’s grade the trade by looking at how the teams involved are affected.