It has been a year since Eric Bledsoe infamously tweeted “I don’t want to be here.” Bledsoe made an excuse that he was tweeting about a hair salon he was at. As crazy as it sounded like at the time, it forced Phoenix to deal the point guard. The Suns sent Bledsoe to Milwaukee for Greg Monroe and a second round pick. Let’s take a look at how well the trade worked out for Milwaukee.
A Look At The Eric Bledsoe Trade One Year Later
Last Season
Bucks fans were ecstatic about adding a starter-quality guard for nothing more than an expiring contract and a 2nd round pick. A problem occurred when he first joined the team because then-coach Jason Kidd started him the first game. The problem was that Kidd benched Malcolm Brogdon for that game. Brogdon was coming off his surprise Rookie of the Year campaign of the previous season. He had a great on-court connection with Monroe, who led the bench squad. The belief was that Brogdon would shoulder the bench scoring weight for the rest of the season. Questions arose if it was the right decision.
Brogdon already proved he had the potential to be a quality starting point guard in the NBA. Although he was already older than most rookies when he entered the league, he won the ROTY. Bringing in Bledsoe obviously limited the number of touches Brogdon would receive last season. Brogdon’s game could correlate to long-term success. He already had a much more mature game in his second season in the league than others. Brogdon could have developed more in that half a season plus the postseason. Also, Monroe’s bench help would have been appreciated in the playoffs. From this point of view, Bledsoe did not make a significant impact last season. Then again if he wasn’t traded, the league would have never gotten the Bledsoe versus Terry Rozier battle.
This Season so Far
This season is a completely different story. The added depth to the bench, which will be invaluable this season. Brogdon is starting at the shooting guard with Bledsoe at the one. The starting lineup takes advantage of both of their strong suits. Bledsoe is able to play at high intensity and is the only one on the roster that can keep up with Giannis Antetokounmpo. Monday night against the Knicks, he scored 16 points along with 13 assists. He is handling the distribution of the ball and is getting others going.
New Coach Mike Budenholzer has created a system in which Bledsoe is thriving. On a small sample size, Bledsoe is shooting the three-ball at a 55 percent clip on five attempts a game. If he is shooting the three-ball at a high percentage, it will lead to easier attempts to drive the ball inside. This is also an ideal situation for Brogdon. He is starting and takes over playcalling duties when Bledsoe is on the bench. Their games are vastly different from one another’s. Bledsoe plays the game at 100 miles per hour. Brogdon likes to take the game slowly but can show flashes of highlight-worthy plays. This season should go on to prove that the trade was a success for the Milwaukee Bucks.
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