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Tyler Zeller, who the Bucks traded Rashad Vaughn for.
Whether teams were making last minute deals to improve their roster for a playoff run or unloading salary cap to focus on their future, it was indeed a crazy trade deadline in the NBA. While Eastern Conference rival Cleveland Cavaliers did an absolute 180 degree roster overhaul to fix what can only be described as a complete dumpster fire, teams like the Milwaukee Bucks remained stagnant for the most part as they look to build chemistry with their current group after a 7-1 start under Joe Prunty.
Not only have the Deer jumped all the way up to fourth in the conference standings at the moment, but they have also welcomed back Jabari Parker into the fold. The Bucks are 3-0 since his return while Parker has scored in double figures in each contest including 12 points against the Knicks in his debut last Friday night. Despite numerous trade rumors involving the 22-year-old, Milwaukee stood their ground and refrained from making a blockbuster deal that would have sent shockwaves throughout the league.
Instead, GM Jon Horst made just a minor move earlier in the week by acquiring 250-pound center Tyler Zeller from the Nets for former 2015 first round pick Rashad Vaughn, who had fallen out of place within the Bucks organization. Zeller is a former teammate of John Henson at the University of North Carolina. His best season came back in 2014-2015 with the Boston Celtics where he averaged 10.2 points and 5.7 rebounds in 82 games with 59 starts. He found his way back into a starting role this season, his first with the Nets, as he was averaging 7.1 points and 4.6 rebounds but saw his playing time decrease as of late due to the emergence of 19-year-old rookie Jarrett Allen. The addition of Zeller certainly offers some much-needed depth on the front line while giving the Bucks some extra beef to body up bigger centers when Henson and Maker are struggling in that department.
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It’s safe to say the Bucks won’t be missing much from Vaughn, who at time he was drafted seemed like a good fit with his ability to stretch the floor and score the basketball. To say he was a disappointment would be an understatement as he averaged just 3.1 points on 31% shooting from downtown in 133 games over two-plus seasons Milwaukee. One could argue that he was never given a full opportunity to prove himself with consistent minutes but there were times he was given chances and never really grasped them. Not to put too much stock in the summer league, but Vaughn played in three summer leagues in Las Vegas with the Bucks and never jumped out and gave the impression that he had been improving whatsoever. Sure he’s still young at just 21-years-old but his lackluster attitude along with a lack of hunger to get better seemed evident and it was time to move on.
As Blake Griffin becomes the new face of the Detroit Pistons and LeBron gets some reinforcements for the stretch run in what could be his final season in Cleveland, the landscape of the Eastern Conference has gotten interesting to say the least. Only four games separate the teams from third to ninth in the standings. Where do the Bucks fit into all of this? Well, as mentioned they are in fourth, only one game behind the Cavs at 30-23 with just four games remaining before the All-Star break. The last time Milwaukee had a record this far above .500 this close to the break was when they were in fact 30-23 back in the 2014-2015 season. After trading Brandon Knight in a three-team deal for Michael Carter-Williams, they finished the season 11-18 and limped into the playoffs as the number six seed.
Taking that into account, Milwaukee has found a groove under coach Prunty while taking advantage of a favorable schedule as of late. It would have been easy for Jon Horst to get on the phones and make a splash, but was instead seen hours before the deadline watching his team practice and prepare for a back-to-back set against the Miami Heat and Orlando Magic the next couple of days. It’s good to see this front office play it smart and understand the bigger picture at hand. There seems to be a solid chemistry building with this group and now that Jabari is back, it can only get better.
That being said, there’s still ample opportunity to still improve this roster and get better as many veteran players will receive buyouts from respective teams in order to play for a playoff contender. Enter the Bucks. Even with a full roster at the moment, Horst will have options to work with in the next couple weeks in case he decides to try and upgrade his frontcourt even more by bringing in a guy like Andrew Bogut or filling an even more pressing need in the backcourt with backup point guards Malcolm Brogdon and Matthew Dellavedova both sidelined for the next month and a half or so. The Bucks are in a solid spot and the All-Star break couldn’t come at a better time. The hope is that they finish the first half strong over the next four games and don’t lose that momentum heading towards the latter half of the season.
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