Woj + Lowe: Bledsoe to Bucks

[Moranis]

I think they could move Teletovic without other assets by taking on a longer deal but for less money (so someone that makes say 8 million for 2 years).  Like say Moore from the Pelicans. 

That said, I don't see why Milwaukee wouldn't pay the tax next season.  They may very well be the favorites in the East entering the year (depending the James and Hayward) and it would be their first tax season.  They could also potentially move players during the season to shave their tax burden. 

[hpantazo]

Just something to keep in mind if Parker comes back strong this spring and gets an offer the Bucks don’t match in free agency.

I think they match and then shed salary elsewhere with picks. But that's painful too, especially since they are giving up a pick for Bledsoe.

Exactly.  And given the ratio of teams looking to shed salary with the number of teams that will have the cap space to take it on, someone is going to be left with some hot potato contracts. We’ll see what happens in July (Parker still has to play well enough to entice teams to offer him a major deal), but acquiring Bledsoe may have some long-term costs that aren’t currently apparent.

The Bucks issue is that they need more overall talent around Giannis and I'm betting their front office thinks that Jabari living up to his potential/talent is their best chance to get that elite talent.

I would think they should have some legit concerns about whether Parker can come back anywhere close to his pre-injury level. Not many players out there who have torn the same ACL twice in a span of 3 years. Its going to be tough for him.

[Smitty77]

In a vacuum, Bledsoe is better than Brogdon, but are we certain he's a better player on the Bucks and playing off Giannis?

They will likely NOT move Brogdon to the bench, but Snell.  (As they SHOULD!!)  Snell is not a starter on any decent team!!  The Bucks will be a top 2 seed in the East unless this implodes!!!  Great trade for them!!

Smitty77

[CELTICSofBOSTON]

The Suns front office is downright terrible.  I’m hearing that there are significant protections on the pick which will most likely lead to the pick not  conveying until 2020. The Suns got played

[hpantazo]

The Suns front office is downright terrible.  I’m hearing that there are significant protections on the pick which will most likely lead to the pick not  conveying until 2020. The Suns got played

That's tough to say, I don't think the Suns had much of a market out there for Bledsoe, and considering his situation they didn't have much leverage either. Not every GM is Danny Ainge, most of them make average deals with short term goals.

[Moranis]

The Suns front office is downright terrible.  I’m hearing that there are significant protections on the pick which will most likely lead to the pick not  conveying until 2020. The Suns got played

as long as it conveys as a 1st rounder, that might very well be better for them.  I mean I would expect the Bucks to be picking in the middle of the 20's or later this year and thus that pick wouldn't have much value.  It might actually be more valuable as a pick in 2020.

[saltlover]

The Suns front office is downright terrible.  I’m hearing that there are significant protections on the pick which will most likely lead to the pick not  conveying until 2020. The Suns got played

We’ll see.  If there are protections that keep it from likely conveying until 2020, I bet they’re sandwich protections, so that the Suns get the pick the next two years only if it’s in the 5-14 range.  This means the Bucks would keep their pick if winning the lottery, but the Suns also won’t get a pick in the 20s this year or next.

So if the Bucks are a late lottery team, the Suns get the pick, otherwise the Bucks do.  It gives the Suns a few chances for the Bucks to have a down year to get a better pick.  It would be similar to how we protected the pick we got from the Mavericks for Rondo for a year, so we had two chances for the Mavs to be a mid-to-late lottery team.

[rondofan1255]

the protections (unlikely to convey 2018-2019, 1-7 2020, unprotected 2021) are like the MEM pick 

[jambr380]

Annoying trade from the Cs perspective. I mean, I am happy to have Kyrie and think that he is definitely superior to Bledsoe, but it seems the Cs were the only ones who paid a premium for their 'star' player (Bulls came close). Can't believe Brogdon wasn't included - how did the Suns not have a better off out there than this. I guess the positive side here is Bledsoe hasn't exactly been a world-beater for the Suns - they have been horrible for a while with him leading the way.

Anyway, hoping that at least one of Middleton/Parker is gone in the off-season. I want the Cs to be the undisputed leaders of the East when Hayward is back - who wants real competition in reaching the Finals?

[Fafnir]

Suns get pick:
11 - 16       2018
4   - 16       2019
8   - 30       2020
Unprotected 2021

So yeah this is an interesting pick, if Giannis or the team falls into a bad injury hole or fall apart they'll get a low lottery pick or just outside. If they keep ascending its a 2020 whatever pick.

If things REALLY fall apart in could be a high lottery pick if Giannis forces his way out towards the end of his deal.

[saltlover]

Suns get pick:
11 - 16       2018
4   - 16       2019
8   - 30       2020
Unprotected 2021

So yeah this is an interesting pick, if Giannis or the team falls into a bad injury hole or fall apart they'll get a low lottery pick or just outside. If they keep ascending its a 2020 whatever pick.

If things REALLY fall apart in could be a high lottery pick if Giannis forces his way out towards the end of his deal.

Pick 4 next year is interesting, since you can hop up to #4 in the lottery beginning next season.

[Vermont Green]

I am not with the crowd on this one.  I don't think Bledsoe is that great and I don't think the trade is all that bad for Phoenix (depending on how the protections end up).  I am also not worried that this makes Milwaukee a big threat.  I understand the trade for both and like it for both.  Bledsoe seems like he will be good for MIL, just not best in the conference good.

Phoenix may be able to flip Monroe.  It is a lot of salary but they may be able to get something done where Milwaukee couldn't.  And they get a first round pick for a player they had given up on.  I think Phoenix did fine under the circumstances.

Part of this is how I feel about Antetokounmpo.  Sure he is an emerging star but I think a star like Isaiah Thomas.  Fabulous numbers but in the end, not as good as the numbers would make you think in terms of being the best player on a team looking to go deep into the playoffs.  Saying GA is like IT is not a bad thing, he is clearly a very good player like IT.

[DefenseWinsChamps]

I am not with the crowd on this one.  I don't think Bledsoe is that great and I don't think the trade is all that bad for Phoenix (depending on how the protections end up).  I am also not worried that this makes Milwaukee a big threat.  I understand the trade for both and like it for both.  Bledsoe seems like he will be good for MIL, just not best in the conference good.

Phoenix may be able to flip Monroe.  It is a lot of salary but they may be able to get something done where Milwaukee couldn't.  And they get a first round pick for a player they had given up on.  I think Phoenix did fine under the circumstances.

Part of this is how I feel about Antetokounmpo.  Sure he is an emerging star but I think a star like Isaiah Thomas.  Fabulous numbers but in the end, not as good as the numbers would make you think in terms of being the best player on a team looking to go deep into the playoffs.  Saying GA is like IT is not a bad thing, he is clearly a very good player like IT.

I thought about posting something like your last paragraph. I'm still not convinced that his style of scoring will work in the playoffs. He has a little fade away within 15 feet, and then he has bullying his way into the paint. His passing has regressed and the rest of the team relies on him way too much.

The Bucks are scary defensively with this trade, if they can play more as a team. Individually, they are really good, though. Offensively this might move the needle a little bit, but I've never been impressed with Bledsoe's scoring ability anyway.

[Moranis]

I am not with the crowd on this one.  I don't think Bledsoe is that great and I don't think the trade is all that bad for Phoenix (depending on how the protections end up).  I am also not worried that this makes Milwaukee a big threat.  I understand the trade for both and like it for both.  Bledsoe seems like he will be good for MIL, just not best in the conference good.

Phoenix may be able to flip Monroe.  It is a lot of salary but they may be able to get something done where Milwaukee couldn't.  And they get a first round pick for a player they had given up on.  I think Phoenix did fine under the circumstances.

Part of this is how I feel about Antetokounmpo.  Sure he is an emerging star but I think a star like Isaiah Thomas.  Fabulous numbers but in the end, not as good as the numbers would make you think in terms of being the best player on a team looking to go deep into the playoffs.  Saying GA is like IT is not a bad thing, he is clearly a very good player like IT.

I thought about posting something like your last paragraph. I'm still not convinced that his style of scoring will work in the playoffs. He has a little fade away within 15 feet, and then he has bullying his way into the paint. His passing has regressed and the rest of the team relies on him way too much.

The Bucks are scary defensively with this trade, if they can play more as a team. Individually, they are really good, though. Offensively this might move the needle a little bit, but I've never been impressed with Bledsoe's scoring ability anyway.

Hard to really take that position when Giannis, as a 22 year old, is coming off a playoff series in which he averaged 24.8 p, 9.5 r, 4.0 a, 2.2 s, 1.7 b, while shooting 40% from three and 55% from two. 

He is the first player since they started tracking all 5 major categories to lead his team in all 5 in the same season, which he did last season (Henson currently is topping him blocks this season, but he has the other 4 right now). 

Giannis is a freak of nature.  The most gifted all around player since James to enter the league.  Obviously him reaching James' level is unlikely, but he is 23 and has already accomplished more than most of the league and most all time greats at a similar age. 

[DefenseWinsChamps]

And so officially ends the 3 point guard logjam of the Suns. Remember when they had Dragic, Bledsoe, and Thomas? They were playing really well and looked like a high-powered offense. They picked Bledsoe (I probably would have too), sent Thomas away to be an All-NBA player, and sent Dragic to the Heat. Bledsoe struggled with consistency, leadership, and injuries, until eventually they had to completely move on.

What was the haul for those three in total?
Marcus Thorton's rotting corpse
Skal Labissierre (whom they traded with Papagiannis and Bogdanvic for Chriss - Labissiere may be a better player when all is said and done)
Danny Granger's rotting corpse
Miami's 2018 1st (1-7 protected or unprotected in 2019)
Miami's 2021 1st (unprotected)
Greg Monroe's Expiring contract
Bucks 1st (year and protections still unknown)
Bucks 2nd (year and protections still unknown)

I guess looking at it, it's not horrible. It just seems like, for an up-and-coming team with a bunch of young exciting guards a few years ago, they should have gotten at least one guy. But the end result won't be fully seen until we see if the Suns can make another pick like Booker.

The Booker-Jackson core has potential. Chriss and Bender look like nba players, but maybe not upper-tier starters. I like Warren, but I hate his fit next to Booker and Jackson. I mean, Booker is in his 3rd season already, continuing to learn bad habits on offense and defense. He gets all the press and excitement, but it seems like they are wasting his and others talent left-and-right.

Are they hoping that one of these draft picks is part of the core moving forward? Will Booker want to leave by then? What about the obvious bad body language on that team that continues even though Bledsoe is now gone?