Piecing together an Eric-Bledsoe trade package with the Milwaukee Bucks was quickly shot down, but does that idea make sense for the Chicago Bulls?
The Milwaukee Bucks are by far the best team in the Central Division so far this season. But the Bucks found themselves in the midst of a host of trade discussions on Jan. 22, as they shot down any rumors that point guard Eric Bledsoe could be on the trade block. Where could the Chicago Bulls fit into a possible trade picture if the Bucks were to end up shopping Bledsoe?
The original report that the Bucks could be shopping Bledsoe came from NBA reporter Gary Woelfel. But the Bucks later shot down that trade rumor on the same day. Bleacher Report’s Howard Beck reported that the Bucks general manager denied the trade rumor Wednesday evening.
Here’s what the Bucks general manager Jon Horst had to say to Bleacher Report on this matter.
"We have no talked to any teams about trading [Bledsoe], since the day that we traded for him,” Bucks general manager Jon Horst told Bleacher Report’s Howard Beck. “And I think it’s evident, pretty strongly, in the fact that we extended Eric, what he means to us. The fact that we currently have the best record in the NBA, had the best record last year in the NBA, he’s an All-NBA First Team defender and a guy that we feel strongly should be an All-Star for the Milwaukee Bucks this year. We have not had those conversations, and we are not going to trade Eric Bledsoe."
However, given all this speculation about the status of Bledsoe in a span of less than 24 hours, it is worth considering if any teams would even think about giving up a hefty package to land him. Bledsoe is a talented point guard that is on the NBA’s best team record-wise, but there are plenty of questions about his game in crunch time.
Bledsoe seemingly faded into the darkness during the Bucks run to the Eastern Conference Finals last season. He wasn’t very effective for the Bucks in the entirety of their last two playoff runs.
Obviously the Bucks are trying to get the public to buy into the fact that Bledsoe isn’t going to be traded, and that appears to be the case. But if they were to hypothetically shop him around, or if they jump ship if he struggles in another Bucks playoff run, would it makes sense for the Bulls to buy low on him in a possible trade deal?
He’s still averaging around 15 points per game, five rebounds, and five assists, while shooting 48.0 percent from the field and 35.4 percent from three-point range. That helps him to get to an 18.8 player efficiency rating and 3.6 win shares on the season so far.
Bledsoe clearly brings a versatile skill set at the point to the table that the Bulls just don’t have at the moment. His sub-14.0 career player efficiency rating in his playoff runs with the Bucks isn’t a good sign, though, and neither is his inconsistent three-point shooting trends year-by-year.
The salary matching could be an issue in a potential trade package between the Bulls and Bucks. But John Paxson and Gar Forman would have to be willing to give up something like forward Thaddeus Young and point guard Kris Dunn and a future draft asset to get this done in an imaginary world. That is still a trade idea that makes sense for both sides.
Any budging that a team like the Bucks would have to give up a piece like the 30-year-old Bledsoe that still has something left in the tank and a team-friendly $16 million contract with three more years remaining makes sense for them. But this doesn’t look likely to happen at this point.