On Thursday, it was revealed that the Milwaukee Bucks would not be trading Giannis Antetokounmpo prior to the NBA trade deadline. The news came after months of speculation on that front, but the Bucks were still active on the open market in bringing in other pieces.
One of those moves was a trade with the Phoenix Suns.
“The Milwaukee Bucks have agreed to trade Cole Anthony and Amir Coffey to the Phoenix Suns for Nick Richards and Nigel Hayes-Davis, sources tell ESPN,” reported NBA insider Shams Charania on X, formerly Twitter.
Let's take a look at how both sides fared in the deal.
Milwaukee Bucks trade grade
By making this move, the Bucks have added another solid center to their rotation, the former Charlotte Hornets big man who now figures to back up Myles Turner.
Anthony hadn't contributed much in Milwaukee this year, so the Bucks won't be missing a lot of production in their backcourt in the wake of this move.
The big question for Milwaukee moving forward will be whether the team will opt to shut Antetokounmpo down for the rest of the year in hopes of improving their NBA Draft lottery odds. Antetokounmpo is currently out of the lineup due to a calf injury, which has become a big problem for him in recent years.
All told, however, the Bucks did well to add a serviceable rotation player for a low price.
Grade: A
Phoenix Suns trade grade
The primary incentive for the Phoenix Suns in this deal appears to have been to get under the next tax apron, which they were able to do by shedding the salaries of Richards and Hayes-Davis.
They will also add a player in Anthony who has been quiet for the Bucks this year, but had some moments as an explosive microwave scorer during his days with the Orlando Magic. This will be especially important for the Suns considering that injuries have been a problem for both Devin Booker and Jalen Green so far this year.
While this trade isn't necessarily a needle-mover, overall, the Suns were able to help themselves out financially at a relatively low cost.
