The Milwaukee Bucks pulled off what is considered by many as the biggest offseason trade deal this past summer when they landed Damian Lillard from the Portland Trail Blazers. It was an absolute win for the Bucks, who have now propelled themselves to becoming one of the favorites to win it all in 2023-24.
Life hasn’t always been this good for Milwaukee, though. They have had their fair share of regrettable decisions in the past, particularly on the trade front. Today, we take a look at the one that may have cost the organization the most.
Milwaukee Bucks Gave Up A LOT for Greivis Vasquez in 2015
Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report recently conjured up a list of the most horrifying trades each of the NBA’s 30 teams have pulled the trigger on through the years. For the Bucks, their 2013 trade deadline deal with the Orlando Magic stood out.
More than a decade ago, Milwaukee made the decision to send Tobias Harris (and Beno Udrih, Doron Lamb, plus cash) to Orlando in exchange for JJ Redick, Ish Smith, and Gustavo Ayon. The worst part for the Bucks wasn’t just losing Harris, but also, the fact that all three players they got back in the trade eventually left Milwaukee at the end of that same season.
Be that as it may, the one that takes the cake for the Bucks was their 2015 deal with the Toronto Raptors. Milwaukee’s front office believed that it was a good decision to send Norman Powell and a future first-round pick to Toronto in exchange for point guard Greivis Vasquez.
“That trade was rough, but this swap—executed during the 2015 draft—looks truly terrifying, especially upon the realization that the draft pick eventually produced two-way wing O.G. Anunoby. Between him and Powell, Milwaukee could have had a couple of feisty, two-way wings,” Buckley wrote.
Just imagine Anunoby with the Bucks playing alongside Giannis Antetkounmpo and Khris Middleton. That would have been something.
To make matters worse, Vasquez ended up playing just 23 games for the Bucks during an injury-plagued 2015-16 campaign. He averaged 5.7 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 4.0 assists in 20.0 minutes off the bench. To add insult to injury, Vasquez signed with the Brooklyn Nets as a free agent after that forgettable year with the Bucks.
Talk about a bad deal, right?
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