Grade the trade: Bucks get needed point of attack defender in mock deal with Kings

Grade the trade: Milwaukee Bucks' point of view

It's easy to see what would the Bucks be looking for in this trade. The thing is how big of an impact could Mitchell have on the defensive end.

Well, he would immediately become the best backcourt defender on the team. He can be aggressive on the ball, stay close to his man, fight through screens, and serve as a point of attack who can slow down opponents. He also likes to communicate and is usually active when help is needed, which could also improve the defensive chemistry.

Mitchell is pretty fast getting back on defense, too, something that could be huge for a team that has been atrocious in transition defense this year. The Bucks are giving up the most made field goals per game within the first 18-15 seconds of the shot clock this season. If Mitchell could transmit some of that quickness and energy to the rest of the team, which is already showing some improvement under Doc Rivers coaching, that would be a big step in the right direction.

However, there are some problems that Mitchell could not solve. First, he's six feet tall, so he's pretty undersized and doesn't look like the perfect fit on a backcourt that already has some size problems. It would be hard playing him next to Lillard, and that's probably something the incoming point of attack will have to do. Even if he's not supposed to become a starter, you would like to use your best on-ball generator and your best on-ball defender next to each other from time to time, but that would mean playing two small guards in a league where guards are getting bigger and bigger.

We need to take a look at the offense, too, where Mitchell is having a down season, being basically a nonfactor most of the time. Some would argue his limited minutes make these stats a bit noisy, but he's having his worst shooting season by far, with just 25.7 percent from 3-point territory, which is pretty low for a player whose main role would be to wait for a potential catch and shoot three.

However, he was a 33.5 percent shooter on catch-and-shoot threes through his first two seasons, which isn't brilliant but isn't nearly as bad either. And that is arguably irrelevant since he would be much more needed on the defensive end. But it is something to take into account.

Funny enough, it would look on paper like Beauchamp would solve these two problems. He's bigger than Mitchell, so he would match better against bigger players, and he's having a better offensive season, shooting 40.3 percent from three and even having some off-ball impact with his cuts. Why trade him, then?

The problem with Beauchamp is he doesn't necessarily look ready to be an important piece of the rotation yet. He's shown some flashes, he's had some good games, but he hasn't been that consistent. He's potentially a good player in the making, but the Bucks want to be a contender now.

Also, Doc Rivers has played AJ Green over him, which is telling. So it's not like they need to get rid of him, but he's not ready to be the defensive stopper the team needs right now.