Milwaukee Bucks: 3 reasons Malcolm Brogdon will be missed
By Jordan Foote
The largest subtraction the Milwaukee Bucks have made this offseason is allowing guard Malcolm Brogdon to become a member of the Indiana Pacers. In what areas will his presence be missed?
Every offseason, teams have to make tough decisions. Choosing which free agents to let walk and which ones to bring back isn’t a cut and dry situation. For a team with legitimate championship aspirations like the Milwaukee Bucks, this is no different. Considering this is one of the most important offseasons in recent memory for the Bucks, every choice general manager Jon Horst makes will be examined under a microscope.
Malcolm Brogdon became a restricted free agent for the first time in his career this summer, putting the Milwaukee front office between a rock and a hard place. Holding the rights to their quality young player, the franchise had the ability to match any offer sheet(s) Brogdon would receive. On the other hand, the 26-year-old was coming off a career season in which he performed with historic efficiency. Retaining him wouldn’t be easy.
On Saturday evening, the Indiana Pacers agreed to a sign-and-trade with the Bucks for Brogdon. Milwaukee was able to recoup a future first round pick and two future second round selections. Now a franchise centerpiece for Indiana, Brogdon is set to make $85 million over the next four campaigns (per ESPN‘s Adrian Wojnarowski).
Losing its fourth-leading scorer from a year ago, Milwaukee is going to be hard-pressed to replace his production. Nearing the prime of his NBA career (he’ll turn 27 this season), Brogdon’s best basketball should be right ahead of him. Now moving forward without a key piece of last year’s core, in what ways will his presence be missed?