The Bucks have found themselves involved in practically every trade rumor after making the franchise-altering decision to part ways with Giannis Antetokounmpo, but they were wise to avoid joining the LaMelo Ball sweepstakes and overpaying for the former Hornet. One Bucks trade proposal for Ball, courtesy of Bleacher Report, had Milwaukee giving up far too much young talent in the wake of a new rebuild:
The Bucks have no reason to get desperate for LaMelo
Obviously, this haul would have been much greater than what it actually took to acquire LaMelo. Not only would the Bucks be giving away a promising young player in Jakučionis, their recent No. 10 overall pick in Burries and a future pick, but they would also be parting ways with their most flippable asset from trading Giannis.
Herro should have solid trade value of his own for teams looking to win now; including him for Ball would just hurt the Bucks' chances to accumulate more assets. Even though this proposed trade might consolidate pieces in a crowded guard room for the Bucks, it doesn't do so in a smart way.
The Bucks will not have any direct reason to tank for draft positioning next season since they don't control their own pick. But that doesn't mean they should throw away future development for a player that won't make them title contenders anyways. Ball has never even led his team to the playoffs over his 6-year career.
Sure, he could be a nice secondary option now for the Timberwolves alongside Anthony Edwards and help boost their offense enough to compete with top teams. But the Bucks don't have the star talent anymore to pair with Ball and justify giving up a huge trade package for him.
The Bucks dodged a bullet by not making this trade
The exact trade propsed above was probably never on the table for the Bucks, but they were probably wise to avoid Ball either way. If anything, he would have likely only slowed the development of Milwaukee's younger guard prospects without leading the team to many wins. Ball has never found much on-court success in his NBA career, and the Bucks frankly don't have the talent on their roster to change that even if they acquired him for nothing.
If the Bucks' main goal was winning as many games as possible next season, LaMelo Ball still wouldn't be the right name to pursue. But when Milwaukee's actual goal is a sustainable rebuild for years down the road, Ball becomes an even worse trade target - especially if many young assets are involved in the deal.
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