After the Bucks won the title, it’s not surprising that some of their key players would be coveted by opposing fan bases. Having the spot light shine solely on their series with the sons let every casual NBA fan see what exactly the Bucks are made of. Outside of Giannis and Middleton, the stars of the series for Milwaukee were Jrue Holiday and Bobby Portis. So of course we should’ve expected to see some trade scenarios revolve around them over the offseason. But this might be the worst hypothetical offer I’ve seen personally.
The Trade
In an article from Bleacher Report titled “How Every NBA Team Can Trade Its Worst Contract”, Jrue Holiday was chosen as having the Bucks’ worst contract. With Milwaukee’s current construction it is tough to single out who is deserving of that title honestly. Being that most consider Holiday the third best player on the team and making the second most money, I suppose one could say it’s the worst contract on the roster.
With that said, there is no way Milwaukee would look to move on any time soon. Jrue’s defense is too valuable to the teams’ success. For the sake of the article though, Bleacher Report had to think of something. Here is the trade they conjured up.
Golden State Warriors Receive: G Jrue Holiday, C/F Bobby Portis, G Rodney Hood
Milwaukee Bucks Receive: F Andrew Wiggins, G Jordan Poole, F Jonathan Kuminga, Future First-Round Pick
Yikes. You read that right. Not only would Milwaukee give up Holiday, but they’d have to give up arguably their best contract in Bobby Portis as well to make this deal happen. Rodney Hood is basically a throw-in to make the money work. So Milwaukee would give up an All-NBA defender and a Sixth Man of the Year contender to receive a borderline starter, a bench player and a rookie.
[pickup_prop id=”12157″]
How Bad is it Really?
This trade would take the Bucks out of championship contention. Not only would they be losing their best perimeter defender, but they’d lose their primary ball handler and have no guard coming back in return. It feels like we’ve seen the best of Wiggins already and Jordan Poole is alright. The most intriguing parts of this would be Kuminga and first round pick because they would have the potential to turn into something great down the road. But when you’re a contender, you don’t sell your key pieces for future potential.
There is absolutely no scenario where Milwaukee would make a move to trade Jrue unless he under performs this coming year. As long as he can play outstanding defense and provide play making on offense, he is a huge part of this team. Scoring for him is just a nice bonus when he’s feeling it. Couple that with trading away a cheap fan favorite in Bobby Portis and this trade makes even less sense. Running this potential trade in ESPN’s NBA Trade Machine actually makes both teams worse. How anyone could think this is a realistic swap baffles me.
For More Great Content
Follow me on Twitter @IAmMitchLang and follow us at @WISportsHeroics for more articles like this! To keep up with everything in WI sports, click here!
