Jabari Parker was involved in some pretty heavy NBA trade rumors regarding Carmelo Anthony a couple months back and now that Eric Bledsoe, who would be a fantastic fit with the Bucks, is firmly on the NBA trade market expect the Bucks to be extremely interested in this type of swap with Phoenix.
The Bucks look to be ahead of schedule in that they’re a legit contender to win the Eastern Conference this season. They beat the Gordon Hayward-less Celtics last week in Boston and went toe-to-toe with LeBron’s Cavs. They just need something to push them over the top, and making an NBA trade for Eric Bledsoe could be just what the doctor ordered.
Milwaukee seems resigned to trading away Jabari Parker, who has suffered through multiple injuries and is not exactly complementary to Giannis Antetokounmpo. Parker will be a restricted free agent in 2018 and reportedly wants a max deal, something the Bucks would be foolish to entertain. Parker played in just 51 games last season and won’t be able to play until February 2018 at the earliest as he recovers from another ACL tear.
Antetokounmpo is clearly the franchise in Milwaukee and he needs a top notch guard to be his No. 2. Malcolm Brogdon has been excellent for the Bucks, but at 6-foot-5 he could easily share the backcourt with another “point guard,” particularly in this era of position-less basketball.
The ultra-athletic Bledsoe would fit the bill and he could take Tony Snell’s spot in the starting 5.
The odd man out for the Bucks would be likely be point guard Matthew Dellavedova. A swap of Parker and Dellavedova for Bledsoe works money-wise.
That said, the Bucks should at least ask for future picks in return for Parker and Dellavedova. Parker is still only 22-years-old and averaged 20.1 points per game last season when healthy. Dellavedova has brought a feistiness to the Bucks and would be missed. Plus, Phoenix has already stated that it will trade Bledsoe. They don’t have much leverage in the matter and one would think Parker would be the absolute best player they could get in return for Bledsoe.
