Milwaukee Bucks: Ranking trade chips heading into the offseason

Milwaukee Bucks trade chip No. 3: Eric Bledsoe

By this point in his career, it feels as if we’ve all seen exactly what to expect from Eric Bledsoe. A defensive savant whose stocky frame and lateral quickness help him keep up with the best at his position, Bledsoe will give moderate offensive output during the year that simply collapses in the postseason. Just as the image of Paul George hitting the side of the backboard on a wide-open 3-pointer is etched into the brains of NBA fans, Bledsoe’s playoff collapses cannot go unmentioned.

For this, his trade value feels like it’s dwindled. Still, Bledsoe could be the separator for a team on the fringe of the playoffs looking for a fresh face at point guard.

Still, it’s going to be hard having Bledsoe as the centerpiece of a trade for an All-Star or All-NBA guy that can run the show with Giannis. Even with that being the case, most of these teams could do a lot worse than Bledsoe, whose average salary over the next three seasons is $18.1 million per year. His money makes most deals work if you include a filler or an intriguing young player, but he alone won’t be quite enough.

This is where the auxiliary pieces from our honorable mentions come into play. It’d be hard to get a transformative player back with Bledsoe as the primary guy returning without adding at least one, more likely two of the pieces in the previous slide. Ultimately, Bledsoe is a decent starting place in most potential deals, but he’s not going to entice many teams to give up a star.