It’s day two of trade season in the NBA and the Bucks are making moves.
What We Know:
- The headline deals from late Monday night/early Tuesday morning involved the Milwaukee Bucks and their opportunity to build a championship team around Giannis Antetokounmpo. The first trade was made with the New Orleans Pelicans, sending Eric Bledsoe, George Hill, three first-round picks, and two future pick swaps to the Big Easy in exchange for Jrue Holiday. This package is extremely generous and you would usually see it for a superstar, which Holiday is not. But, Holiday is an underrated shot creator and a lockdown defender, and this trade should bolster the Bucks’ title chances. Anything that gets Milwaukee closer to a championship will also improve the chances of Giannis signing with the team long term.
- The second deal the Bucks made was a sign-and-trade for Sacramento Kings guard Bogdan Bogdanovic. The Bucks are sending Donte Divincenzo, Ersan Ilyasova, and DJ Wilson to Sacramento for Bogdanovic and Justin James. Like Holiday, Bogdanovic addresses the Bucks’ lack of playmaking and shot creation. He can shoot, dribble, and make the right play, which is something the Bucks need more of, especially in the playoffs. The Bucks certainly gave up a lot for Holiday and Bogdanovic, but it will all be worth it if Giannis stays with the team.
- Another interesting trade was made between the Houston Rockets and the Portland Trail Blazers. Houston is sending Robert Covington to Portland for Trevor Ariza and two draft picks. I think this trade was made with future trades in mind. Covington was a really important piece for the Rockets this season, but it’s clear they’re ready to move on from their small-ball style. The two picks they acquired could help them possibly trade Russell Westbrook in the coming weeks. Ariza played for the Rockets two years ago and was one of their best role players, but it’s hard to see him providing better value than Covington for this Houston team.
- Staying on the subject of Houston, the rumors of a James Harden trade are intensifying. It was reported by TMZ that many of the Rockets’ players, including Harden and Westbrook, were turned off by owner Tilman Fertitta’s support of Donald Trump. Pretty much all of the leaks coming out of Houston point to the whole locker room being unhappy, so this checks out. Reports coming out of Houston’s front office say that the team is willing to run it back with unhappy players, but other sources around the league say that the team is engaged in trade talks for Harden and Westbrook. There are reports that a Harden trade could shape up with the Brooklyn Nets and that a Russell Westbrook-John Wall trade with the Washington Wizards has been discussed.
- Moving back to the East, the Boston Celtics and Gordon Hayward are reportedly trying to extend the deadline for him to decide on his $34.2 million player option. It was reported earlier that Hayward would opt out of the final year of his contract and move on from Boston, but this news points to a trade being in the works. The Celtics are likely trying to extend this deadline so they can work out a deal and not have Hayward walk away for nothing. According to Chris Haynes, the Atlanta Hawks have emerged as a serious destination for Hayward.
In some additional news, NBA teams are expecting to start team practices between December 4th and 6th, just ahead of the December 22nd start date.
