Bucks Acquire Eric Bledsoe

On Tuesday morning, the Milwaukee Bucks acquired Eric Bledsoe from the Phoenix Suns in exchange for Greg Monroe and a protected first round pick. Ultimately, I don’t think this moves the needle all that much for Milwaukee. Yes, Bledsoe is an excellent defender, but so is Malcolm Brogdon who will now be forced to come off of the Buck’s bench. While Brogdon may not be quite the playmaker that Bledsoe is, the Bucks were not in search of a playmaker; they have the Greek Freak for goodness sake. Giannis Antetokounmpo is, let’s face it, the Bucks de facto point guard. What the Bucks do need is to surround their 22-year old phenom with ample shooting. Let’s look at the numbers: Bledsoe is a career 33% three-point shooter; Brogdon on the other hand shot over 40% from three last season and is hovering right around 45% through the early portion of this season. That difference between Bledsoe and Brogdon is significant. Why? Bledsoe, by league standards, is an average threat from distance; whereas Brogdon is one of the best. Now what does that mean for this Bucks team? When Giannis beats his man off the bounce, Bledsoe’s defender can help off and be waiting for Giannis in the paint whereas Brogdon’s cannot leave the sharpshooter’s hip. I know this is technical, but I see this as a major downside of this trade. When you have a superstar, every move you make should be made with him in mind. How does this affect Giannis? I’m not certain that was the case here.

Ultimately, the Bucks will know their destiny come February. That is when Jabari Parker is scheduled to return from an ACL injury that prematurely ended his 2016-2017 campaign. If Parker can be close to what he was prior to the injury, I think Milwaukee has a real chance to make a deep run in the playoffs. If not Jabari cannot return to his old-self, the Bucks are doomed, even with the addition of Eric Bledsoe.