On Monday, Bleacher Report put out an article suggesting "1 trade every NBA In-Season Tournament quarterfinalist wishes it could make right now." The Milwaukee Bucks defeated the New York Knicks on Tuesday night and made it to the semi-finals against the Indiana Pacers but ultimately fell to the Wisconsin native Tyrese Haliburton's team and rendered their trip to Las Vegas short.
The Milwaukee Bucks are now off until Monday night when they have a chance at home to avenge their previous loss, an overtime defeat at the hands of the Chicago Bulls. In the meantime, trade rumors and wishes are swirling on how to "fix" the Milwaukee Bucks.
Bleacher Report's suggestion for the Milwaukee Bucks is to trade for Marcus Smart and send a large package headlined by Bobby Portis back to the Memphis Grizzlies.
I will give this credit to Bleacher Report; this trade suggestion is better than the last one I graded, where the author suggested the Bucks give up a member of their big three, their young potential filled second-year player, a salary filler and a first round pick for Zach Lavine.
This trade however, suggests that the Milwaukee Bucks essentially empty their bench in exchange for a recent Defensive Player of the Year in Marcus Smart.
The author remarks on Jrue Holiday ending up in Boston after the Bucks traded him to Portland in the Damian Lillard deal and that the Bucks could counter by adding former Boston Celtic Marcus Smart, creating "chaos" in the process.
Grading B/R's mock trade for Marcus Smart: The trade
The trade does work in a trade machine and by doing this package of players the Milwaukee Bucks would save just under $5 million on the salary cap. There are several implications for both teams that will lead to what grade this trade receives. Let's look first from the Memphis Grizzlies perspective.
Grading B/R's mock trade for Marcus Smart: Grizzlies' POV
Would the Memphis Grizzlies benefit from this trade enough to consider moving their biggest off-season addition?
The Memphis Grizzlies unfortunately lost Steven Adams to a season ending injury, leaving Jaren Jackson Jr. as their primary center with 31 year old journeyman Bismack Biyombo as his only backup. Bringing in Bobby Portis would allow the Memphis Grizzlies to use Jaren Jackson Jr. as a power forward again and allow him to free range on both sides of the ball more often, where he can be dangerous, instead of tethered to the paint.
As for the addition of Pat Connaughton, the Memphis Grizzlies would be able to at least replace the hustle that Marcus Smart provides. In addition, Pat Connaughton (and Bobby Portis) would bring with them championship pedigree. They've been in the NBA Finals, and they've won a championship. Pat Connaughton also is a reliable 3-point shooter. For his career, he has shot 35.9 percent from deep and has patented the "catch high, keep high" shot in what is known in Milwaukee as "Connaughton's corner."
MarJon Beauchamp offers young potential of a potential star two-way player and has flashed that potential on both ends at times this season. The potential of MarJon Beauchamp is what could possibly make this deal worthwhile for the Memphis Grizzlies.
Then, to add a cherry, albeit a small one, on top, the Milwaukee Bucks could also throw in a 2024 second round pick from the Portland Trail Blazers. With as bad as the Blazers are struggling through the first quarter of the season (6-14, same record as the Grizzlies currently) that pick could end up in the early 30s of next year's draft.
Grading Bleacher Report's trade for the Memphis Grizzlies: A-
The Grizzlies may have to sacrifice some defense temporarily, but they get a big upgrade for their depth, and their offense gets some help that also aids their roster as it stands now and gives them some pieces to use for the future.
Grading B/R's mock trade for Marcus Smart: Milwaukee's POV
Would the Milwaukee Bucks giving up their Sixth Man of the Year candidate in Bobby Portis, their hustle guy Pat Connaughton and their young gun MarJon Beauchamp be worth the upgrade that Marcus Smart presents defensively?
The main complaint among Milwaukee Bucks fans so far in the Damian Lillard era of the team has been the defense. Adding Marcus Smart would certainly help fix that, but is he single-handedly enough to fix the Bucks' defense? Maybe.
Unfortunately, the Milwaukee Bucks would sacrifice depth, and potentially more detrimental is the impact that losing Bobby Portis has on the fanbase. Portis, since arriving in Milwaukee, has completely reshaped his image and become a fan favorite that can flip the momentum of any game in a complete 180.
However, the goal of the NBA season is to win championships, not popularity contests. The Milwaukee Bucks may be a bit short handed for a month to a month and a half until Jae Crowder is back from his injury. Adding Marcus Smart could provide a big boost to the team by knowing you have a lockdown defender who can switch one through four on any team.
Marcus Smart then becomes your go-to defender for players like Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown, Jimmy Butler, Tyrese Haliburton, Tyrese Maxey, Jalen Brunson and whoever the best player is on the Western Conference champion should the Milwaukee Bucks make another finals run.
Grading Bleacher Report's trade for the Milwaukee Bucks: B+
Initially, the Milwaukee Bucks will be a little short handed, they are aided by the fact that Khris Middleton's minutes restrictions seem to be getting less strict by the game. However, until Jae Crowder is healthy, the Milwaukee Bucks would be asking a lot from a guy like Andre Jackson Jr. to be one of the first guys off the bench with Malik Beasley.
Also, losing Pat Connaughton, who does more things than shoot, could open more playing time for A.J. Green, who has made some splashes in a few games this season, shooting 36.7 percent from the 3-point line. Jackson Jr. and Green combined could make up for the loss of what Connaughton does for the Milwaukee Bucks.
While Crowder is out, Adrian Griffin could also turn to Thanasis Antetokounmpo to play some minutes and take over the hustle role on the team. We've seen countless times, when Thanasis gets on the floor, he plays like a man who knows and accepts that his minutes are limited and puts an entire game's worth of effort into a few minutes.
Also, by sending out three players and getting just one in return, the Milwaukee Bucks could add a player or two to the roster while waiting for Crowder. There are a few journeymen available who could help the Bucks for a short period. Guys like Rudy Gay, T.J. Warren or Will Barton come to mind.