Disgruntled point guard Brandon Jennings finally has a new home as the Milwaukee Bucks deal their point guard to the Detroit Pistons for Brandon Knight and two other players. The trade makes sense for both sides as the Bucks rid themselves of their unhappy floor leader while the Pistons add another big name player this off-season.
Pistons get: PG Brandon Jennings
Bucks get: PG Brandon Knight, C Viacheslav Kravtsov , and SF Kris Middleton
Why this makes sense for Detroit:
Brandon Jennings agrees to a three-year sign and trade deal worth approximately $25 million to come to Detroit. Jennings was hoping to snag a more lucrative contract but let’s face it; he isn’t as good as he thinks he is and he is beginning to realize that since there weren’t any other teams wanting to try and steal him away from Milwaukee.
The jury is still out on Jennings. Yes, he is talented but far from an elite level NBA guard. Jennings does provide an upgrade over Knight at the point guard position and is another major splash for Detroit after their signing of Josh Smith earlier this month. However, Jennings is another athlete who doesn’t shoot the ball consistently from the outside which is an Achilles’ heel for Detroit.
If the Pistons were in the And 1 Tour, they would be awesome. Unless Jennings and Smith mesh with the rest of the roster better than most think they will, Detroit is still a borderline playoff team in the Eastern Conference. I will be interested to see if Chauncey Billups’ presence can help turn Jennings into a more disciplined lead guard.
Why this makes sense for Milwaukee:
Once the Bucks submitted a four-year, $32 million offer sheet to restricted free agent point guard Jeff Teague, the writing was pretty much on the wall that Jennings’ future with the franchise was nearing an end. Even though the Hawks matched Teague’s deal, there was no way they could keep a pissed off Jennings on the roster and pretty much had to deal him before things got even worse.
John Hammond has to feel fortunate that he was able to acquire a nice young piece in Brandon Knight. Kravstov and Middleton are simply salary throw-ins who don’t figure to factor into Milwaukee’s rotation.
With Knight, O.J. Mayo, Gary Neal, the return of Luke Ridnour, and Nate Wolters, the Bucks have completely overhauled their backcourt. There is more depth than the Jennings, Monta Ellis, and J.J. Redick trio that Milwaukee ended last season with, but I’m not sure there is much of a talent upgrade. With or without Jennings, the Bucks are likely going to be one of the worst teams in the Eastern Conference this year.
Pistons grade: B-
Bucks grade: C
David Kay is a senior feature NBA Draft, NBA, and college basketball writer for the Sports Bank. He also heads up the NBA and college basketball material at Walter Football.com and is a former contributor at The Washington Times Communities. David has appeared on numerous national radio programs spanning from Cleveland to New Orleans to Honolulu to Milwaukee. He also had the most accurate 2011 NBA Mock Draft and the most accurate 2012 NBA Mock Draft on the internet , AND the second most accurate 2013 NBA Mock Draft. (Yup, nearly 3peat champ… #humblebrag.)
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