Building The 15 - A Plea to Stand Pat at the 2015 NBA Trade Deadline

This is the 6th year (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014) that I've provided NBA Trade Deadline advice to Milwaukee Bucks (co) general manager John Hammond.  I used "(co)" because the last couple moves to The 15 had Bucks head coach Jason Kidd's hands all over them, which makes me think Kidd is transitioning into a role of head coach and general manager.  I've clearly been critical of Kidd in the past because he has only been an NBA coach for one season and already has ambitions of having his hand in front office moves too, which is what got him traded to the Bucks in the first place.  If I owned the Bucks, I would have Kidd focus on coaching and let Hammond handle Building The 15.

The Bucks won 8 of 9 games going into the NBA All-Star break but have really only beaten up on the scrubs with a 23-6 record v. sub-.500 teams and 8-19 v. above-.500 teams.  Either way, the Bucks still have two members of The 15 participating this weekend in some of the 2015 NBA All-Star Weekend festivities.  The Greek Freak is playing in the NBA Rising Stars Game and is in the slam dunk contest while Brandon Knight is participating in the skills competition.  I will do my duty and post fake trades for Hammond but this is the first season in a while that I hope the Bucks sit tight at the trade deadline unless they are able to pull of a one-sided deal with a desperate team in "win-now" mode that does NOT compromise the top of The 15 because I like the top end of The 15.  It should take a huge return to pry away Brandon Knight or John Henson but The Greek Freak and Jabari Parker are truly the only two untouchables on The 15.  Had things not gone so far south with center Larry Sanders, this advice column might have been similar to 2012 when I focused on every way possible for Hammond to trade Stephen Jackson but the Bucks and Sanders are currently working on a buyout so there is no way another NBA team would trade for Sanders at this point.

As I've said many times in the past, I would hate to see the Bucks part with any future first round picks given that is really their best way of adding talent.  I am even reticent to include a second round draft pick too because although the Bucks still have extra second round picks, they don't have that many extra picks given that they traded two to the Brooklyn Nets to acquire head coach Jason Kidd.

NBA trades are mostly about shuffling around expensive contracts in hopes that a change of scenery turns one team's trash into another team's treasure, which is why I wrote my first (annual hopefully) NBA General Manager Buyer's Remorse Day post.  With the 2015 NBA Trade Deadline (Thursday, February 19th at 2:00 PM CST) rapidly approaching, here are my favorite somewhat plausible trades (least favorite to most favorite) that I put together for Hammond's review with an assist from ESPN's NBA Trade Machine that he could float to other general manager this weekend at NBA All-Star Weekend in New York:

#5) Bucks trade John Henson (PF/C) to the Utah Jazz for Enes Kanter (C):

There have been rumblings for months that Kanter wants out of Utah and given that he is a restricted free agent at the end of the season, I am sure that Jazz management has evaluated a number of ways to get something in return for Kanter.  It is too bad for the Jazz that the situation has deteriorate so much because Kanter is an offense first big man that shows flashes of being a dominate NBA center.  I know Kanter struggles defensively but the Bucks need offense much more than defense at this point. Sure there is an outside chance that the Jazz could hold onto Kanter instead of trading him in the hopes of mending fences but given that their relationship is most likely beyond repair, it would be nice for the Jazz to get another legitimate defensive presence to pair with Rudy Goebert in Henson.  Add in that Henson is under team control on the cheap for a season longer than Kanter and this trade actually looks to favor the Jazz so I think they would actually have to throw in a future second rounder to get this deal done.

#4) Bucks trade Johnny O'Bryant III (PF) to the Orlando Magic for Andrew Nicholson (PF):

The Magic apparently do NOT see Nicholson as a part of their long-term plans, which makes his $2.3 million salary for the 2015-16 season awfully expensive if they do NOT view him as a potential building block.  This trade allows the Magic to save a little money given that the rookie O'Bryant signed a three-year, $2.4 million contract but only the first two years are guaranteed so the Magic could keep O'Bryant for the 2016-17 season for roughly $1 million or could cut him without any salary cap ramifications.  Given that O'Bryant is only a rookie it seems too early to give up on him but this trade has more to do with the fact that I am bummed that the Bucks drafted O'Bryant instead of Big Dogg's son with the 36th pick in the 2014 NBA Draft.  There is a good chance that Nicholson wallows on the bench if Hammond actually acquires him but I am still not ready to give up on him so I am fine with the Bucks taking on slightly more salary in this trade (hey, its not my money anyhow since I am no longer acting like I am Bucks owner) on the off chance that Nicholson can figure out his game in Milwaukee.

#3) Bucks trade Zaza Pachulia (C) to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Anthony Bennett (PF):

This trade is mostly to needle my Minnesota friends, especially my buddy Nick given that he is one of the biggest NBA fans I know.  My buddy Sug and I were on record as saying Wiggins for K-Love alone felt like the Timberwolves were getting the better end of the deal.  The fact that the Timberwolves got (fat) Anthony Bennett too honestly seemed like gilding the lily.  At this point it seems like only the Cleveland Cavaliers thought that Bennett was worth the first pick in the 2013 NBA Draft.  What makes that pick even more painful is that the Cavs could have just taken combo guard Victor Oladipo (my unabashed draft crush of the 2013 NBA Draft), which would have been a huge upgrade over Dion Waiters.  Before the 2013 NBA Draft it seemed like the debate was whether Oladipo or Nerlens Noel should go 1st overall but Noel had a knee injury that hurt his draft stock.  Even if the Cavs passed on Oladipo, they should have taken Noel because it would have saved them from giving the perpetually injured Anderson Varejao a three-year, $30 million extension.  Sadly it looks like Bennett will be a bust, which is why I am trying to give the Timberwolves an out to add a somewhat cost-effective NBA center while the Bucks get a perpetually overweight power forward to go to the fattest NBA city.  On second thought, may be this is a better deal for the Timberwovles so let's just move on.

#2) Bucks trade O.J. Mayo (SG) and Jerryd Bayless (PG) to the Phoenix Suns for Goran Dragic (SG), Zoran Dragic (SG), and Archie Goodwin (SG):

Much like Kanter, the relationship between the better Dragic brother and Suns management is so strained that it is beyond repair.  I guess the Suns got here when they signed combo guard Eric Beldsoe to a five-year, $70 million contract and Isaiah Thomas to a four-year, $27 million contract (deescalates in annual value each season).  I am not sure what money that leaves for Dragic but it certainly means if he is on the Suns past the trade deadline that he is going to decline his $7.5 million player option for next season so the Suns will get nothing in return for a borderline Top 10 point guard.  Given the salary structure of the NBA, I bet Dragic signs an even bigger deal that Bledsoe did and apparently is only interested in playing in a big market so it feels like the Bucks might actually be giving up too much to rent Dragic for a playoff run but the cherry on top is Goodwin.  Unfortunately for Jordan Crawford, I've moved onto Goodwin as my sneaking good shooting guard that I think could have a relevant NBA playoff moment off the bench.  I see Goodwin as Gary Neal without the locker room baggage.  That or Goodwin is the Desmond Mason of the Ray Allen heist.  Trust me, I know Mayo is no Allen but I mention it only because at the time of the Allen/Payton deal some justified it by saying that Mason could be the best long-term asset in the deal, which was clearly NOT the case.

#1) Bucks trade O.J. Mayo (SG) and Jerryd Bayless (PG) to the New Orleans Pelicans for Eric Gordon (SG):

It is Masters-esque so cue Jim Nance's voice. "Hello friends and welcome to Cheesehead Sport Nut's annual tradition of somehow fake trading for the perpetually injured shooting guard Eric Goron.  I want to welcome in my boyfriend partner Sir Nick Faldo to break down how crazy this is."  What can I say, I am a sucker for Gordon.  If the Bucks just held onto Ray Allen, I would NOT be forced to try to conjure up deals for (potential) franchise shooting guards.  Honestly with how well Brandon Knight has been playing this year, I somehow think that can rub off on Gordon to somehow make him not only healthy but potentially salvageable.  Plus, I secretly want to give The Brow an unencumbered salary cap this summer for the Pelicans to go after another useful player, which is totally doable if they can move Gordon's crazy contract ($15 million this season and $15.5 million player option for next season).

If Hammond actually makes a move, which I am on records as hoping he doesn't do, check back for full coverage in this space.  In the meantime, enjoy watching The Greek Freak and Brandon Knight participate in the NBA All-Star Weekend festivities.  Hopefully one of them will actually play in the NBA All-Star Game in the next couple seasons.

Building The 15 - NBA General Manager Buyer's Remorse Day

Despite front offices becoming much more savvy in the last decade thanks to the use of advanced stats, there are still NBA owners (I'm looking at you Vivek Ranadivé) and general managers (I'm looking at your Billy King) that cannot help themselves from making short-sided draft picks or handing out ridiculous free agents contracts.  The number of owners and general managers that fit the description just provided is decreasing each year, which is too bad because those folks make a number of decisions that I love to second-guess.  December 15th marks the first day that teams can trade a player they signed in the off-season.  Although mulligans are not allowed on these deals, NBA teams love to trade bad contracts for bad contracts in hopes that one man's trash is another man's treasure.  As a result, I thought I would help Milwaukee Bucks general manager John Hammond wade through some of these bad contracts.

Although it seems like these bad contracts are going away, let's not forget that the NBA's revenue will dramatically increase in a couple years when their new nine-year, $24 billion national television contract kicks in, which means the salary cap will sky rocket too, so I hope NBA owners and general managers will revert back to their old ways of giving out more ridiculous contracts.  There is a very good chance that will happen given that some estimates have the salary cap going up as much as $21 million between the 2016-17 and the 2017-18 season from $66 million in 2016-17 to $87 million in 2017-18.  Besides being great economic news to NBA players and agents, this will also provide more silly decisions for people like me to second guess.

Here are a couple outlandish trades for Hammond to consider that involve players that signed a free agent contract last off-season:

Bucks trade Ersan Ilyasova (PF) & O.J. Mayo (SG) to the Phoenix Suns for Eric Bledsoe (PG/SG) and Archie Goodwin (SG):

Hammond would make this deal even if it meant giving up a future first round pick, something I rarely sign-off on doing, just on the off chance that he could steal a potential franchise player in Bledsoe.  Sure Bledsoe has a checkered injury history and is signed to what looks like an expensive long-term deal (five-years, $70 million) but given the impending increase in the salary cap, Bledsoe's deal might NOT be that expensive in a couple seasons.  Hammond will get very few chances to add a player of Beldsoe's caliber so he honestly has to take it.  Plus, I have a soft spot for young shooting guards that under perform when they first get into the NBA so getting Goodwin as a part of this deal is the cherry on top that allows the Bucks to acquire another cost-effective contract.  Although I wish this trade were possible, even if the Bucks include a future first round pick, realistically they will need to give up a better player to acquire Bledsoe.

Bucks trade Brandon Knight (PG) & Ersan Ilyasova (PF) to the Phoenix Suns for Eric Bledsoe (PG/SG) and Archie Goodwin (SG):

This iteration of the trade most likely alleviates the need for Hammond to throw in a draft pick to make the deal work but it also means the Bucks give up two of the three best players in the trade.  Despite the fact that the Suns just signed the Morris twins to contract extensions, Ilyasova seems like the perfect stretch four that can shoot well from anywhere on the floor (I know he has struggled with his shot this season but I blame all the injuries he has had to with with) to round out their roster.  The problem with this working in practice is that Knight is due a huge contact extension that might be as large as Bledsoe's deal after this season so although the Suns move Bledsoe's five-year, $70 million contract, they are actually taking on even more long-term money in this deal.  Clearly the Suns would say no first to this deal, which probably makes it a non-starter but still fun to think about especially if you are a Bucks fan.

Bucks trade O.J. Mayo (SG) to the Charlotte Hornets for Lance Stephenson (SG):

The ghost of Ray Allen has hung over the franchise for nearly a decade since the artist formerly known as the Seattle Supersonics stole him from the Bucks, which is why I continually search for a franchise shooting guard for the Bucks.  My buy-low candidate the last few years was Eric Gordon but thankfully that never worked out for the Bucks since Gordon's injury issues make Bledsoe look like the healthiest player in the NBA.  With Gordon no longer in my sights, I think it makes sense to turn to Stephenson.  At one point last season there was talk that Stephenson could be a max contract guy if he hit free agency.  That was a cute thought if you were Stephenson or his agent but the rest of the NBA knows that he is an absolute head case, which ultimately lead to his departure from the Indiana Pacers via free agency.  In terms of comps, Chandler Parsons signed a three-years, $46 million deal with the Dallas Mavericks.  That felt like it was the floor for Stephenson but he ultimately signed a three-year, $27 million contract with only the first two years guaranteed so the third year is a club option.  I know this next statement makes me captain obvious but boy did the market fall out for Stephenson in the last year, I just wonder whether it was too big of a fall or a proper market correction.  Even though Mayo is playing much better this season than last season, this is essentially a $2 million gamble (Mayo earns $8 million each of the next two seasons while Stephenson earns $9 million per year) on getting a franchise shooting guard.  Don't forget the Bucks acquired the perfect veteran in Jared Dudley, which could actually help keep Stephenson in check.  I know that is a tall order for Dudley but let's not forget that Stephenson is just 24 years old too so there is an outside chance that he could still mature.  Despite all of Stephenson's issues both on and off the court, this is the kind of swing for the fences trade that I know Hammond will never do but would love to see him at least entertain.

Bucks trade Jerryd Bayless (PG/SG) to the Sacremento Kings for Ben McLemore (SG):

ESPN's NBA Trade Machine does NOT allow you to include draft picks but the Bucks would have to part with at least one of their multitude of extra second round picks from the next few draft to make this trade work.  Keep in mind that the Bucks still have all of those extra second round picks even though they threw away two when they acquired head coach Jason Kidd.  I say threw away because although Kidd has been a much better coach this season than I ever thought he could be, it was clear that the Brooklyn Nets wanted Kidd out so they might have even fired Kidd before the Bucks showed interest.  For real NBA junkies, which you clearly have to be if you are reading this post (or a member of my immediate family), Grantland.com had a great behind-the-scenes look at the 2014 NBA Draft for the Sacramento Kings.  I love their new owner, the aforementioned Vivek Ranadivé, repeatedly "asking" if Nic Stauskas was the right pick and getting the entire room to say "Nic Rocks" on their welcome conference call with him after they foolishly took him over Elfrid Payton.  That means McLemore's days in Sacramento are numbered even though he is their starting shooting guard this season.  Bayless and a second round pick may seem like a low-ball offer but NBA teams see the writing on the wall with McLemore so it might be better for the Kings to get something for McLemore if Stauskas is truly the person they envision as their long-term shooting guard.

There is less than a 1% chance that any of the trades above happen but it is still fun to speculate.  If Hammond actually does make a move, make sure to check back for full coverage in this space.  If Hammond doesn't make a move, make sure to check back in early 2015 for my updates to The 15.

Building The 15 - Bucks trade Neal & Ridnour to Bobcats for Sessions & Adrien

For the second year in a row Milwaukee Bucks general manager John Hammond made a deal on the eve of the NBA Trade Deadline.  For those that do not remember, last season Hammond sent small forward Tobias Harris, point guard Beno Udrih, & shooting guard Doron Lamb to the Orlando Magic for shooting guard J.J. Redick, center Gustavo Ayon, & point guard Ish Smith.  Earlier today Hammond sent shooting guard Gary Neal & combo guard Luke Ridnour to the Charlotte Bobcats for combo guard Ramon Sessions & under-sized power forward Jeff Adrien:

This trade looks like nothing more than a money saver for Bucks owner Herb Kohl.  Neal is earning $3.25 million this season in first year of a two-year, $6.5 million deal while Ridnour is earning $4.32 million in the final year of a four-year, $16 million deal.  Sessions is earning $5 million this season in the final year of a two-year, $10 million deal while Adrien is earning roughly $900,000 this season in the final year of a two-year, $1.6 million deal.  That means Kohl saves roughly $3.75 million over the next two season: $500,000 this season ($1.67 million difference in salary this season multiplied by the percent of the 82 games left in the regular season) and $3.25 million next season given that everyone besides Neal is on an expiring contract.  Far be it for me to take money out of someones pocket but the biggest thing that jumps out to me about the salaries discussed above is that Sessions will earn $10 million over the last two seasons as a backup combo guard, which is about $8 million too much.

Just a quick look at the advanced stats this season for Neal (11.5 PER), Ridnour (9.3 PER), Sessions (14.9 PER), and Adrien (15.0 PER) confirm that over the long-haul all four guys are average NBA players, at best.  The only guy with a nice potential upside is Neal given that he is the perfect heat-check guy on a good team, which he proved last season as a member of the San Antonio Spurs.  I am sure that Neal is longing for the days that he got to come off the bench for the Spurs because since losing to the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals last season, he played for the worst team in the NBA and just got traded to a borderline playoff team in the watered down Eastern Conference.

Before you start to feel too bad for Neal let's not forget that he got into a locker room argument in early January with center Larry Sanders, which essentially confirmed that Neal would get trade before the 2014 NBA Trade Deadline given that the Bucks have $44 million over the next four seasons committed to Sanders.  In my advice for Hammond for how to approach the 2014 NBA Trade Deadline, I advised him to trade Neal to the Phoenix Suns for shooting guard Archie Goodwin.  We will never know but I hope Hammond at least floated the Neal/Goodwin deal and was shot down by Suns general manager Ryan McDonough because I like that trade much more than the one that Hammond actually made today.

Building The 15 - 2014 NBA Trade Deadline Advice for John Hammond

This is the fifth year that I've given Milwaukee Bucks general manager John Hammond advice for how to approach the NBA trade deadline (2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013).  I am not sure what is more shocking, that Hammond is still running the Bucks or that I am still writing this blog.  I am sure that Hammond planted some seeds at NBA All-Star Weekend 2014 in New Orleans with the 29 other NBA general managers to see if he can swing a deal to improve The 15.

Given that the 2014 NBA Draft is shaping up to be the best draft since the 2003 NBA Draft, the Bucks should do every thing in their power to add another first round pick in this year's draft.  I know that sounds overly simplistic but there are a couple NBA teams that are in win-now mode that might be willing to part with their first round pick to add a rotational player to help them down the stretch.  If that's the case, even if that pick projects to be at the end of the first round, the Bucks should consider making that trade.

For all of Hammond's blunders, he drafted very well in the first round the last two years.  In the 2012 NBA Draft the Bucks selected power forward/center John Henson with the 14th pick.  In the 2013 NBA Draft the Bucks selected little known shooting guard/small forward Giannis Antetokounmpo with the 15th pick.  It is very early in the process but it looks like the Bucks got the best player in the 2013 NBA Draft and one of the best players in the 2012 NBA Draft, which is pretty impressive since Hammond made both picks in the middle of the first round.

Recently I took a look at The 15 for the 2013-14 Milwaukee Bucks.  The biggest takeaway is that everyone besides The Greek Freak and Henson should be available at the trade deadline for the right price.  I will not be able to include all the other members of The 15 in the five trades I propose below for Hammond to consider but here is what I think is the right price for some of those 13 players.

Clearly the Bucks need to add talent, even if those players come with some baggage. I thought of floating trades like small forward Caron Butler to the Philadelphia 76ers for small forward Evan Turner or shooting guard Gary Neal to the Cleveland Cavaliers for shooting guard Dion Waiters.  I know both of those trades look way too slanted in favor of the Bucks since they are trading a veteran for a younger asset so the Bucks would probably have to include a future first round pick to get those deals done. Turner and Waiters have been mentioned in a number of trade rumors, which makes me think their current teams do not see them as long-term building blocks but neither are talented enough for the Bucks to part with a future first or second round pick to get these deals done.

I hate to see the Bucks part with any future first round picks given that is really their best way of adding talent.  I am even reticent to include a second round draft pick at this point even though the Bucks have a ton of second round picks at their disposal since I think second round picks are becoming an undervalued lottery ticket for small market franchises.  NBA trades are mostly about shuffling around expensive contracts in hopes that a change of scenery turns one team's trash into another team's treasure.  With the 2014 NBA Trade Deadline (Thursday, February 20th at 2:00 PM CST) rapidly approaching, here are my favorite somewhat plausible trades (least favorite to most favorite) that I put together for Hammond's review with an assist from ESPN's NBA Trade Machine:

#5) Bucks trade Caron Butler (SF), Zaza Pachulia (C), and Ekpe Udoh (PF) to the Los Angeles Lakers for Pau Gasol (C):

This is the second year in a row that I tried to bring Gasol to Milwaukee.  Last year I actually gave the Lakers back an asset in small forward Ersan Ilyasova.  Given that Gasol is in a contract year his value is at an all-time low, which is why the Lakers will not get much in return.  I am sure the Lakers would be too embarrassed to make this move but given how much they overpaid shooting guard Kobe Bryant, they do not have the salary cap space to resign Gasol this off-season and still fill their roster with anything other than minimum wage players.  At 33, it looks like Gasol is in the twilight of his career but I always thought he would thrive in a smaller market where he didn't have to share the limelight with Bryant.  This trade allows the Bucks to try to convince Gasol to re-sign in Milwaukee this odd-season while the Lakers can trot out a serviceable NBA center in Pachulia at a slightly inflated price for the next two years.

#4) Bucks trade Gary Neal (SG) to the Phoenix Suns for Archie Goodwin (SG):

Clearly the Suns are going to build long-term around the back court of Eric Beldsoe and Goran Dragic.  Bledsoe is currently hurt yet the Suns are relying on the likes of Gerald Green and Leandro Barbosa instead of Goodwin.  Since the Suns are in win-now mode, they could use an instant offense guy off the bench like Neal.  Let's not forget that Neal was instrumental in giving the San Antonio Spurs a 2-1 series lead over the Miami Heat in the 2013 NBA Finals.  Sure Neal got into a very public locker room spat with Larry Sanders this season but I am sure that is because Neal is frustrated by the fact he is playing for the worst team in the NBA.  The Suns have three first round picks in the 2014 NBA Draft, which they are apparently open to including in trades.  The upside of the Neal for Goodwin deal is for the Suns can hold onto their picks without adding too much salary since Bledsoe is going sign a long-term extension this off-season while adding an instant offense guy off the bench they desperately need for their playoff run.  The upside for the Bucks is that they get a potential lottery ticket in Goodwin while extricating a locker room cancer in Neal.

#3) Bucks trade Caron Butler (SF) and Ekpe Udoh (PF) to the New Orleans Pelicans for Eric Gordon (SG):

The Pelicans have arguably the best player in the NBA under the age of 25 in center Anthony Davis.  Unfortunately besides power forward Ryan Anderson, David Stern the Pelicans put together a ton of mismatched parts to go along with Anderson and Davis.  With Anderson out a few months, Udoh gives the Pelicans a serviceable power forward without the need to make any long-term financial commitments.  Gordon is one of the biggest enigmas in the NBA because when healthy he looks like a Top 10 shooting guard.  Unfortunately Gordon has only played in 296 of a possible 461 regular season games so far in his NBA career.  This trade gives the Pelicans some clarity to their back court since they have point guard Jrue Holiday, combo guard Tyreke Evans, and Gordon but only two spots to play them.  All three are signed to expensive long-term contracts so they all expect to play.  Worst case scenario, this trade gives the Pelicans a ton of salary cap relief since Butler and Udoh are on expiring contracts while Gordon is scheduled to earn $15 million next season and holds a $15.5 million player options for the following season.  Current Bucks shooting O.J. Mayo is scheduled to earn $8 million each of the next two seasons.  That means this trade would give the Bucks the same problem that the Pelicans currently have.  Luckily the Bucks have point guards Brandon Knight and Nate Wolters signed to rookie contracts through the 2015-16 season so they can deal with committing $23 million to their shooting guard position each of the next two seasons.

#2) Bucks trade Caron Butler (SF) and Ersan Ilyasova (SF/PF) to the Detroit Pistons for Josh Smith (SF/PF) and Tony Mitchell (PF):

The Pistons signed Smith to a four-year, $54 million deal this off-season thinking they could get Smith to play down low instead doing his best Antoine Walker impression as he endlessly chucks 3's just like he did for the Atlanta Hawks.  Instead Smith has continued his lazy play, which means the Pistons are paying a ton of money for Antoine Walker 2.0.  This trade gives the Pistons a do-over on the Smith deal by adding a quality basketball player in Ilyasova.  Sure Ilyasova is struggling this season but I stand by my Poor Man's Dirk comparison.  This trade also gives the Bucks a Milwaukee native in Mitchell.  I know it seems like the last thing the Bucks need is a chucker like Smith but for some reason I still think he is redeemable in the right situation.  The Bucks are currently not the right situation but if they continue to struggle they can add another piece at the top of the 2014 NBA Draft to put together a pretty intriguing team for next season. If the Bucks and Pistons made this trade it would mark their second trade in less than a year.  In the first trade the Bucks sent Brandon Jennings (PG) to the Pistons for Brandon Knight (PG), Khris Middleton (SF) and Viacheslav Kravtsov (C).  So far it looks like the Bucks got the better end of the Jennings sign-and-trade since the Pistons took on all the risk.  In this trade the Bucks are taking on all the risk but with all the talent the Bucks have down low they can deal with Smith harnessing his inner Antoine Walker sometimes, just not all the time.

#1) Bucks trade Ekpe Udoh (PF) to the Los Angeles Clippers for Jared Dudley (SF):

After Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan the Clippers are trotting out the likes of Byron Mullens, Ryan Hollins, and Antwan Jamison as their front court reserves so clearly they need to get more physical up front.  Add in that the Clippers have a ton of shooters and Dudley is clearly expendable.  Dudley is scheduled to earn $4.25 million a season through 2015-16.  The last year of Dudley's deal is a player option, which I could see him declining to get out of Milwaukee as fast as possible.  If Udoh shows that he fits in, the Clipper can extend him a $6 million qualifying offer for next season.  If not, the Clippers get more physical up front for a playoff run while shedding some long-term salary.  The Bucks committed long-term money to a number of other guys in the front-court (Ilyasova, Pachulia, and Sanders) so if they held onto Udoh through this season, I bet they would not even extend a qualifying offer to Udoh anyhow.  Add in that Dudley is a quality locker room guy so he could be a great influence on The Greek Freak, this seems like the rare win-win NBA trade.

I would be shocked if Hammond pulled off any of the deals just discussed but if Hammond makes any moves before the 2014 NBA Trade Deadline, make sure to check back for full coverage.