Did The Bucks Make A Big Mistake With This Trade?
Ever before the 2022-23 NBA season began, there were questions about where Jae Crowder would end up playing and the Milwaukee Bucks were always at the front of conversations pertaining to Crowder trade talks.
Ultimately, the Bucks were able to land the veteran forward before the trade deadline in February, but it took a lot of time to land Crowder and what did Milwaukee really gain from this move?
Following their loss on Wednesday night to the Miami Heat, the Bucks' season has abruptly come to an end in the first-round of the playoffs after they finished the regular season with a 58-24 record, the best in the league this year.
It is not like this series was close either, as the Bucks won just one game against the 8-seeded Heat, a complete embarrassment given the high title hopes they had this year.
Obviously injuries played a role in this team's demise, as Giannis Antetokounmpo ended up missing some games due to a back injury he suffered early on in Game 1 against Miami, but Milwaukee really did not help themselves with their rotations.
Jae Crowder, the Bucks key trade deadline acquisition and someone with NBA Finals experience, played in just 18 regular season games for this team and in the playoffs, he played just a total of 41 minutes across four games.
Being in the final year of his contract and set to become an unrestricted free agent in the offseason, Crowder was essentially a two-month rental for the Bucks that was not utilized in any way really.
Worst of all, the Bucks gave up quite a bit to acquire Jae Crowder, as they traded five total second-round picks, veteran guard George Hill, veteran big man Serge Ibaka and Jordan Nwora.
There is always a chance that the Bucks agree to terms on a new contract with Crowder and integrate him into their system more in the offseason, but this trade in the middle of the 2022-23 season ended up being a complete flop for the Milwaukee Bucks.
Turning 33-years-old in July, Crowder is nearing the end of his career and is nothing more than a role player at either forward position at this point, which is why this trade ended up being a bad move for the Bucks, especially if Crowder does not re-sign with them in the offseason.
