NBA Trade Grades: Phoenix Suns move Eric Bledsoe to Milwaukee Bucks

Milwaukee Bucks

The Bucks are the clear winners of this deal, moving a useful but totally expendable bench player and a protected first round pick that probably won’t convey until a few years down the road.

Don’t be fooled by Bledsoe’s paltry averages of 15.7 points, 3.0 assists and 2.3 rebounds per game on .400/.308/.786 shooting splits so far this season either; those three games were absolute train wrecks for the most dysfunctional team in the league under Earl Watson. This guy can still play, and he’s going to be extremely motivated playing for a legitimate playoff squad.

Just take a look at what guys like Goran Dragic, Isaiah Thomas or Markieff Morris have done since leaving the desert, or consider how Bledsoe stacks up to some of the most well-rounded players in the league:

Last year, Bledsoe put up a career-high 21.1 points, 6.3 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game. He only shot 43.4 percent from the field and 33.5 percent from 3-point range, but the year before that, he posted more respectable shooting splits of .453/.372/.802, so it’s not like he’s incapable of being efficient when he’s got talent around him.

That’s exactly what he’ll have in Milwaukee, and although he can hardly be expected to be a spot-up shooter with the ball in Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s hands, Bledsoe has the size, speed and strength to be a bulldog for this team, providing the Bucks with some much-needed help on offense without sacrificing anything on defense.

Bledsoe’s effort on that end has trailed off a bit in recent years, but part of the problem likely rests with the Suns being so uncompetitive. Assuming he can stay healthy, which is the biggest risk here, this 27-year-old should look reenergized playing for an up-and-coming Eastern contender.

Giving up a first round pick for a guy with three knee surgeries in the first seven years of his career is obviously risky, but the protections mean it likely won’t convey until 2020 or 2021, when the Bucks should be a contender and the pick would be less valuable anyway.

The Bucks already have plenty of youth. Unless Giannis gets hurt or demands a trade or the Bucks completely implode, that kind of protected pick might never be valuable.

What they did need was scoring and respectable defense. Adding Bledsoe’s length to the equation makes him a great fit with the Bucks, and if it comes at the cost of an expiring contract and a future first-rounder, so be it.

This calls into question what the Bucks do with Malcolm Brogdon, but he can swing over to the 2 or be one of the best backup point guards in the league if Milwaukee wants to keep the sharpshooting Tony Snell in the starting lineup. In the event of an injury, the Bucks also have the luxury of replacing him with Brogdon or Matthew Dellavedova to keep the train rolling along.

With two years left on Bledsoe’s deal, now was the right time to strike and accelerate this promising young team’s path to future contention.

Grade: A-