That one time Dirk Nowitzki was a Milwaukee Buck

Dirk Nowitzki has been in the news quite a bit, especially on the four-letter network. It is of course because recently, the Dallas Mavericks retired the number 41; hung it in the rafters- never to be worn again by another Maverick player making it only their 4th retired number in franchise history. (The Bucks have 9 by the way.) Nowitzki was quoted as saying, “ That’s a high honor, just to know my number will always be up there. Nobody can ever wear it.” And for a hall of fame player that scored over 31,500 points, that seems well-deserved. The German prep-to-pro player certainly had a prolific NBA career.

Of course, had things been different, Dirk Nowitzki could have retired in Milwaukee, a city with some strong German heritage. And even retired as a Buck. Nowitzki was drafted by the Bucks in the 1998 NBA draft. He was selected with the ninth pick. The Bucks then traded him, along with Pat Garrity, for the sixth pick made that evening: Robert “Tractor” Traylor. Traylor went on to have 2,000 career points for four different NBA teams. Many have considered this trade to be one of the most lopsided in NBA history. Given what a perfect match it seems Nowitzki could have been in Milwaukee, many fans continue to wonder to this day if it wasn’t a franchise-killing move that lasted nearly a decade.

What Happened to Robert “Tractor” Traylor?

Traylor died in 2011 of a heart attack. He left behind a family. He also did not technically end his career as a Milwaukee Buck.

In June of 2000, Traylor was traded by the Bucks, along with Vinnie DelNegro and J.R. Reid for Billy Owens and Jason Caffery. So, in essence, you could even say the Milwaukee Bucks traded Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitski, an NBA finals MVP and NBA Champion, for Billy Owens and Jason Caffery. Owens would never score a point in a Bucks uniform.

Traylor came out of college with that label of having a “high motor” and a “strong basketball IQ.” Of course, it seems that the strong motor and success he had at Michigan just did not translate the way Nowitzki’s skill set was able to transfer. Traylor did, of course, start for the Bucks with Allen, Cassel, the “Big Dog” Glenn Robinson, and Tim Thomas in a playoff series that year against Indiana. ( A series they went on to lose 0-3.) Also working with George Karl, notorious for never giving rookies a shot, probably did not help either. 

As the NBA trade deadline approaches, and the Bucks do have a 1st round pick this year with a seemingly strong player development program, it always seems prudent to remember that one time Dirk Nowitski was a Milwaukee Buck. And that one-time Tractor Traylor was a Buck. 

Sometimes you just never know how those picks might pan out.

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