so, i don't really agree with these takes.
Bucksi think milwaukee is a top 3 GM in this league, is extremely shrewd, and makes few mistakes.
the key here is zach lavine.
he's fairly injury prone, and has demanded a trade. if he ends up in the wrong situation, you're now locked into a 5 year contract (4 years guaranteed) and then...
you're using the picks in this trade to dump lavine for nothing in return.
bucks is getting ahead of that potential scenario and mitigating risk against being stuck with lavine's age 29, 30, 31, 32, and 33 seasons on the books.
instead, he's getting a huge win-now package of players to help him win back-to-back championships. MOREOVER, if spurs was shopping these guys and bucks doesn't make the trade, he now has to compete AGAINST Randle, Rozier and Bridges and risk
1) losing this season
2) risk being stuck with lavine post-trade and dumping him with nothing in return
he can also sign all 3 players in Summer FA next season they're not guaranteed gone anyway.
in my view, an excellent win-now trade by Bucks, while also hedging against a bad Lavine trade.
SpursSpurs trades 3 expirings for a slew of assets, in particular a 2026 1st Rounder, Deni Avdija, and a 2nd rounder.
I'm skeptical any Milwaukee pick will be super valuable, even 3 years out, so I'd rate the 2nd rounder as dogwater and the 1st rounder as okay. I think if you're lucky it's the 8th pick, but more likely the 12th to 16th.
Either way, a rebuilding team wants those assets and to get value out of expirings, so great work from Spurs.
Spurs has re-signs so giving up Randle isn't a slam dunk, I suppose it depends how you view Randle. Personally, I'd rather trade him, and then if i want him back just bid on him in Summer FA. He's not someone I'm keen on using a re-sign on, although Spurs has 2 left with only 1 year left to use them.
As for Lavine, he can afford to eat the salary on the downside, and if he goes to a good situation and maintains his FPPG, he can trade him for potentially another 1st, so he's taking the opposite-side gamble that Bucks is, and if he wins he gets picks, if he loses he can just eat the salary and trade him for two 2nds two years from now. It's a smart risk-reward proposition for a tanker.
Overall I think a win for Spurs as well, and A+ for a first trade in the league where most GMs get bamboozled by Mavs or Philly.
I hate declaring a win-win trade but this looks good from both sides.
I approve.
