Milwaukee Bucks add Holiday, Bogdanovic to apply pressure on Giannis’ decision
The Milwaukee Bucks upgraded their roster in a big way on Monday night by acquiring guard Jrue Holiday from the New Orleans Pelicans. One question about this trade is, did the Bucks give up too much to bring in the 30-year-old Holiday? Ultimately only time will tell.
In return for Holiday, the Bucks sent guards George Hill and Eric Bledsoe to the Pelicans, plus three first-round draft picks. That is quite a hall New Orleans just managed to wrangle with this transaction.
The most important part in this trade for the Pelicans is of course those three first-round picks they have just added to their collection. With young developing talent such as Zion Williamson, Lonzo Ball, and Brandon Ingram already beginning to make their marks in the league, stacking up even more first-round draft capital will only serve to benefit the continued building of a potential winner down in the bayou.
For the Bucks, they finally get that third option on the floor to go along with league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and All-Star Kris Middleton. Even more importantly, they did not have to trade away Middleton which may have been the case had they gone after Chris Paul via trade instead, which had been rumored earlier this offseason.
Also, by doing whatever it took to get this deal done, Bucks management is showing Giannis that they are serious about building a winner and surrounding him with the talent needed to make a run at the NBA Finals. Although the Bucks paid a hefty price for Holiday, these are the types of moves you need to make to get over the hump sometimes as a franchise.
The Bucks did not stop with the Holiday trade though.
In a deal that was reported about an hour after the Holiday deal, the Sacramento Kings agreed to a sign-and-trade with the Milwaukee Bucks that will send Bogdan Bogdanovic and Justin James to Milwaukee in exchange for Donte DiVincenzo, Ersan Ilyasova, and DJ Wilson.
In the span of just a couple of hours, the Bucks went from major disappointment last season to the possible favorite out of the East after the moves they made Monday. That of course will depend on what happens with James Harden and the Houston Rockets and if he gets traded to Brooklyn or Philly in the next week or so before training camps start on December 1.
As of right now though, Giannis and the Bucks have to be feeling pretty good about the players they’ve just acquired.