Grade the Trade: 2 former Bucks return to Milwaukee in mock deal with Bulls

NBA Summer League has officially kicked off, which has taken much of the attention off of the Milwaukee Bucks' decision-making and roster renovation.

Yet, while the young Bucks get their feet wet and see more action than they typically might, the front office should be working to further upgrade the roster. They still have a roster spot for the taking, but they could also swing a trade if they really want to shake things up. With Milwaukee's second apron restrictions, it's somewhat difficult to piece together trades, but some ideas are interesting.

One such eye-catching proposal comes from Bleacher Report's Dan Favale, who recently created a few mock trade packages for teams who could use a realistic move. Let's check out Favale's mock deal between the Milwaukee Bucks and Chicago Bulls.

The mock trade between the Bucks and Bulls

In this proposal, the Bucks pull off a two-for-one with a Central Division rival. Set to make $9.4 million this coming season, Connaughton can indeed be moved in a deal to absord Carter's $6.5 million and Craig's $2.8 million salary for this coming season. Carter does have a player option for the following season, but so does Connaughton, though the former's is worth nearly $3 million less.

The Bucks are quite familiar with both incoming players. Craig played 18 games with the Bucks to kick off the 2020-21 season. Before this past season, Carter spent the prior year and a half in Milwaukee before earning a lucrative new deal from Chicago. That familiarity adds another layer of intrigue to this mock deal.

Let's grade the proposal by looking at each team's perspectives.