For the past several years, Alex Caruso has been a fan-favorite trade target for the Milwaukee Bucks, and that was no different this off-season.
Well, he's now off the board of options, with ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski reporting that the Chicago Bulls have traded Caruso to the OKC Thunder for Josh Giddey. Now, if the Bucks still want to add a defensive-minded guard to bulk up their backcourt, they will have to turn elsewhere. Luckily, they will have options. Let's analyze five.
Ayo Dosunmu
With Caruso traded and the Bulls rumored to be heavily shopping Zach LaVine, it's not far-fetched to think they may be open for business with a good chunk of their roster. If so, the Bucks should make a call about Ayo Dosunmu, another Bulls guard who has been rising up on the fan-favorite trade target power rankings as of late.
The appeal with Dosumnu is easy to get behind. He's a 6-foot-5 guard who can play point guard, two guard or even small forward occasionally. He can also guard all three positions, utilizing his height and lengthy wingspan to hound them. That would be a welcoming addition to Milwaukee's backcourt as they hunt for more perimeter defenders.
Offensively, he's coming off a career year, having averaged 12.2 points while shooting an impressive 40.3 percent from deep. While his defense is his main draw for Milwaukee, it certainly would not hurt to have another capable scorer and perimeter shooter on the roster, especially if that player is also just 24 years old and can help the team's need for youth.
With a $7 million salary, the guard has a digestable contract trade-wise for the Bucks. The significant unknown is what the Bulls would want for the guard if they will even entertain trading him. Still, a call from a Milwaukee area code should be put in.
Quentin Grimes
When the New York Knicks were allegedly shopping Quentin Grimes at the trade deadline last season, this writer wanted to Bucks to take a swing at him. Ultimately, he landed with the Detroit Pistons and only appeared in six contests with them due to injury. If Detroit's new front office is willing to entertain offers for the guard this off-season, the Milwaukee Bucks should call.
In his first two NBA seasons, Grimes showed glimpses of potential on both sides of the ball, shooting the long ball extremely well while using his 6-foot-5 stature to guard players from guards to forwards. That's exactly the type of player the Bucks could use in the backcourt, giving them a much-needed perimeter defender who can space the floor well for the stars.
Having just turned 24, he's also still young and could help lessen the age of the oldest roster in the entire association, something that will be on this team's to-do list. With a $4.3 million salary for the 2024-25 season, this would be a no-brainer financially. There's a lot to like about Grimes' fit with the Milwaukee Bucks, so they should call their divisional rival to gauge availability.
If the Bucks could snag him as a reclamation project, it could be a high-upside trade.
Davion Mitchell
After falling out of favor in Sacramento's rotation last season, third-year guard Davion Mitchell was a name floated in trade rumors constantly. He played just 15.3 minutes per contest, by far the fewest in his young NBA career. He could use a change of scenery to reignite his career, and the Bucks could use a player of his talents. Perhaps they could phone the Kings and see what it would take to get him.
Even dating back to his days in college, Mitchell has been known as a relentless defender, picking up players the full length of the court and hounding them tirelessly. Defensively, there are shades of Jevon Carter, a former Bucks guard who enjoyed his best years in Milwaukee, in his game due to his motor and intensity on that side of the basketball court.
If the Bucks buy low on Mitchell and his $6.5 million salary for next season, it could be a low-risk trade to add a stout defender to this backcourt. Standing at 6-foot-2, there would be concerns about his height in particular matchups and the threat of being targeted by bigger players, but still, his defense could be of great use. He could certainly provide a needed spark on that end.
Bruce Brown
The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor recently floated the idea that the Bucks should explore a trade involving a swap of Brook Lopez and Toronto's Bruce Brown. With O'Connor noting that the Bucks would like to shake up their defensive mentality a bit moving forward, possibly bringing in a do-it-all wing such as Brown would indeed have its share of positives.
Above all else, Brown can play strong defense against a wide variety of players, slowing them down mightily on the perimeter. Of course, this Milwaukee team needs that more than anything. He would not be the typical big wing defender, as he stands at just 6-foot-4, but he's capable of taking on the tough assignments, even if they are bigger than him.
If the Bucks want to switch like crazy defensively, something that O'Connor's nugget hints at, Brown would be a dream fit. With Lopez, the Bucks were somewhat shackled in that regard due to his need to primarily play in the drop, but Brown could open things up mightily. When Milwaukee goes small with Giannis Antetokounmpo at center, Brown would fit seamlessly in those lineup combinations.
On top of the defense, he's capable of rebounding, facilitating, shooting and just about everything else one can do on the basketball court. He showed these traits primarily with the Denver Nuggets during the 2021-22 season, when he helped them win an NBA title. The hope would be that he'd do the same thing for the Milwaukee Bucks.
The big thing with Brown is that when the Toronto Raptors pick up his team option, which seems like it will happen any day now, he'll be on the books for $23 million next season. That's somewhat stiff for a non-star, but if Milwaukee truly wants to become more versatile defensively, following through with O'Connor's proposal and swapping Lopez for Brown could make sense.
Marcus Smart
With the Boston Celtics landing Jrue Holiday last season, many Bucks fans wanted ex-Boston guard Marcus Smart to level the playing field. Milwaukee's front office apparently tried to make that happen, as Yahoo Sports' NBA insider Jake Fischer reported the Memphis Grizzlies did receive a phone call from the Bucks about trading for him, but the former declined.
Since Caruso is now off the market, the Bucks should give the Grizzlies another call. Smart would fit right in with this team, giving them the defensive ace they have been longing for in the form of one of the best defenders in the league. A three-time All-Defensive honoree and one-time Defensive Player of the Year winner, he knows a thing or two about guarding the opposition.
With a $20.2 million salary for next season, this is another deal where the Bucks would have to move on from Brook Lopez. As said with Brown, moving Lopez for an ever-versatile defender like Smart is the type of move that could allow this team to experiment with endless defensive schemes. For one of the best guard defenders out there, it's worth calling about.
Like Holiday in Boston, one would think that Smart would be fired up about the opportunity to go against the team that traded him, especially given the status of these two title-contending teams.
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