Deadline day tipped off with a trade involving 13.3% of the league. In a reported four-team deal, the Bucks acquired Serge Ibaka, the Pistons acquired Marvin Bagley III, the Kings acquired Donte DiVincenzo and the Clippers acquired Rodney Hood. Sacramento also received Trey Lyles and Josh Jackson from Detroit, while the Clips added Semi Ojeleye and the Bucks picked up two future second-round picks. Let‘s grade the deal for all sides.
Bucks: B
Losing DiVincenzo, 25, is not nothing. He was great for Milwaukee last season, and the Bucks were going to have an opportunity to match any deals he received as a restricted free agent this summer. DiVincenzo has struggled with his shot this year, however, and with Grayson Allen, George Hill and Pat Connaughton taking over those combo guard minutes, this trade became doable for Milwaukee.
You could do worse than Ibaka as Brook Lopez insurance. While not as feared a rim protector, and dealing with his own injury issues the last two seasons, Ibaka gives Milwaukee a defensive option at center next to Giannis Antetokounmpo in place of Bobby Portis. Ibaka may not be as good of an option as Lopez was against the Joel Embiids of the world, but—health permitting—he should be able to contribute minutes in a playoff series against most teams. Ibaka has looked to be on the decline in Los Angeles from his Toronto days; it should benefit him greatly to play alongside the Bucks’ star trio. Expecting Ibaka to pick up a starter’s load of minutes would be unrealistic, though.
Pistons: C+
Why not? At this point, Bagley is still mostly unrealized potential. The Pistons are betting on him finally finding a role in the NBA outside of Sacramento, where things soured quickly. Bagley should play consistently off the bench, and he makes sense as a four or five playing next to any of Detroit’s other bigs. The opportunity cost for Detroit is low here. Trey Lyles and Josh Jackson aren’t quite vets but aren’t quite fresh faces anymore. Bagley will be 23 next month, and at least the player who came out of the draft in 2018 had higher potential than anyone else in this portion of the deal.
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Kings: B-
At some point the Kings had to cut ties with Bagley, both because of his flaws and their own mismanagement of his career so far. This return is … not bad! Lyles and Jackson don’t seem like they’ll be long-term fixtures here. DiVincenzo is interesting. He’s a good third guard to have with De’Aaron Fox and Davion Mitchell, and he could probably even play alongside them in some smaller lineups. He brings a tough defensive disposition, and up until this season, was emerging as a trusted floor spacer as well. My biggest concern here is the looks are going to be a lot different coming off Fox and Domantas Sabonis compared to Giannis and Khris Middleton. Looking ahead, provided Sacramento retains him this summer, DiVincenzo should be a stalwart in the backcourt rotation. At the very least, he’s proven he can play a role on a good team.
Clippers: C
With Ivica Zubac starting and the emergence of Isaiah Hartenstein, this is nothing more than a luxury tax maneuver for the Clippers. ESPN’s Bobby Marks reports this trade saves them $30 million in tax money.
