After a couple weeks of speculation, rumors and a frustrating four-game losing streak, the Milwaukee Bucks finally got the guy they’ve coveted in point guard Eric Bledsoe. The 6’1” athletic speedster is coming off a banner season averaging a career-high 21.1 points, career-high 6.3 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game. He became available after a falling out with the currently rebuilding Suns. With an overcrowded backcourt focused on developing young talent, Bledsoe knew it was best to find more of a win-now situation as he enters his prime.
That tweet was sent out soon after former Phoenix head coach Earl Watson was fired after the team’s 0-3 start. When confronted by GM Ryan McDonough, Bledsoe claimed he was at a hair salon with his wife and simply didn’t want to be there anymore. Regardless, it was no secret that both parties were ready to move on.
Enter the Bucks, who had previously been linked to rumors in the past with Bledsoe. While the Suns did their best to get young assets in return, Bucks GM Jon Horst stood his ground by not giving up reigning rookie of the year Malcolm Brogdon, 2016 10th overall pick Thon Maker or 21-year-old Jabari Parker. Instead, Milwaukee reluctantly agreed to part with big man Greg Monroe along with a protected 1st and 2nd round pick.
Monroe had been a prominent fixture in the Bucks frontcourt over the past two-plus years even after coming off the bench last season. His leadership and ability to get instant buckets down in the paint made him crucial to their success, but being in the final year of a 3-year, $50 million dollar contract, chances were slim he would resign next summer. His contributions on and off the court should not go unnoticed, and fans should always remember that he chose Milwaukee over cities like Los Angeles and New York, paving the way for a new age of free agents to come play in smaller markets. Nonetheless, the Moose and his “And 1” screams will surely be missed.
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What Bledsoe Brings
As Bledsoe gets set to join his new teammates in San Antonio for Friday night’s tilt against the 7-4 Spurs, one can’t help but be excited for a point guard of his caliber to be able to come in and instantly upgrade Milwaukee’s backcourt. Just listen to how thrilled he is to be joining an already talented young team and the chance to play for a future Hall of Famer in Jason Kidd.
Coming off his career-high scoring season, he has the ability to create his own shot from anywhere on the floor, and use that ability to open up opportunities for his teammates. The Deer haven’t had this kind of a threat at point guard since Brandon Knight, but Bledsoe is more than that as he’s also heralded as one of the fastest players in the league.
With all do respect to Malcolm Brogdon, who has been quite a find for the Bucks, Bledsoe has loads more speed and athleticism that should do wonders when the Bucks want to get out and run the floor. Expect a lot of pick and roll sets with guys like the Greek Freak and more easy alley-oop buckets for Thon Maker and John Henson due to his penetration. Milwaukee’s athleticism and talented roster should be a perfect fit for Bledsoe’s style and his basketball IQ should make everyone around him better.
It’s easy to get excited about what he brings to the table offensively but there’s more to his game when you talk defense. Eric is known for his quick hands while being an excellent on-ball defender. With a career 1.4 steals per game average, expect him to be active in forcing turnovers that lead to fast breaks and easy transition buckets.
What this Trade Means for the Frontcourt
Speaking of John Henson and Thon Maker, Milwaukee’s two lanky seven footers will no doubt be taking on even more minutes with Moose’s departure and be tasked with going up against each team’s strongest big men each night. This is the only part that scares me post-trade because as much as Bledsoe upgrades the backcourt, the strength of the front line comes into question. Even before the trade, Monroe had been out the past five games, including four losses to the Thunder, Hornets, Pistons and Cavaliers.
What do all those teams have in common? They all have enforcing big men that manhandled Henson and Maker. Moose’s size and strength helped offset opposing bigs, which begs the question as to whether or not the Bucks are done making moves. The best-case scenario would have been to bring along a guy like 7’1” center Tyson Chandler in the Bledsoe trade while sending now third PG Matthew Dellavedova back to Phoenix. That’s neither here nor there at this point, but unless Milwaukee has something else brewing on the trade front, the time is now or never for six-year veteran John Henson to prove his worth.
Looming Cap Situation
Despite getting rid of Moose’s expiring $17 million dollar contract, Milwaukee will have Bledsoe’s $14.5 million dollar salary on the books for this season and again for $15 million next season, which puts the Bucks total cap of $107.7 million just over $6 million dollars of the estimated $101 million cap next season. With Jabari Parker set to hit the restricted free agent market next summer, one would figure the Bucks will match any offer that comes his way that will most likely be in the $20 million dollar a year range. If that’s the case, Milwaukee surely won’t be done making moves as Dellavedova ($9.6 million), Mirza Teletovic ($10 million) and Henson (11.4 million), will all be on the trading block moving forward. There’s no way Milwaukee can afford to keep a third point guard in Delly as well an under-achieving trigger happy shooter in Teletovic on the roster for nearly $20 million dollars when Parker, a former 2nd overall pick and impending superstar will be a top priority.
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What the Trade Means for Kidd and Rotation
As it has been for the last couple seasons, many are questioning coach Jason Kidd and the pace at which he is developing this young roster. His constant experimentation with different rotations and arguably playing certain guys out of position hasn’t allowed the Bucks to find a consistent rhythm. That being said, he is a hall of famer with a great basketball mind. While many feel the Bucks could be in a better position in an otherwise wide-open Eastern Conference, the Bucks have a weird, long and athletic roster. There’s a lot to be said about what he’s done with the roster he’s been given considering Giannis can play anywhere and the injuries he’s dealt with from Middleton and Jabari.
The Bucks didn’t bring Bledsoe in to be a 6th man, so he should in fact start along with Giannis, Middleton and Henson (or Maker). That leaves Brogdon and Snell for the final starting spot until Parker returns. I would imagine Snell gets the nod with his ability to stretch the floor with the starters. Brogdon is a much better candidate to lead the second unit as a perfect fit for the sixth man role. I also wouldn’t be surprised to see Brogdon and Bledsoe on the floor at the same time throughout games especially in the second half. Obviously the odd man out will be Delly as there just won’t be enough minutes to go around for three point guards.
Trade Grade
There’s no doubt in my mind that Milwaukee won this trade while hitting a massive homerun in the process. When you have the ability to add an All-Star caliber player to your team without giving up young assets besides a couple of draft picks, it’s an absolute no-brainer. Especially when you’re in win-now mode and the first round pick shouldn’t be near the lottery. Despite having one of the more talented young rosters in the Eastern Conference, the Deer seemed to still be missing something and getting Bledsoe should take them to that next level.
I’m not saying that this makes them an instant finals contender but it surely makes them that much more dangerous moving forward. It leaves their frontcourt a bit thin for the time being but there’s no doubt that this simply makes them better overall. Once they get Jabari back in the fold in a couple months, hopefully we can finally see what this team can look like fully healthy while giving them a chance to make a deep run in the playoffs. The pieces are falling into place and the Bucks are giving teams more reasons to Fear the Deer. I give it a solid A.
