The Milwaukee Bucks are apparently going all in in their attempt to not only win an NBA championship but also get superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo to stay with them beyond his current contract.
The Bucks are in the process of attempting to acquire guard Jrue Holiday from the New Orleans Pelicans. On Monday, it was reported that they would need some help from the Cleveland Cavaliers to officially make it happen.
And you cannot trade in back-back seasons. Will be interesting how Milwaukee structures this and will likely need cooperation from Cleveland in amending the pick protection. https://t.co/TWNvKsVz0p
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) November 17, 2020
On Tuesday morning, it was reported that the Cavs would indeed be lifting the pick protection.
Cleveland will receive a future second from Milwaukee by lifting the protection on the 2022 first (from the George Hill 2018 trade) that the Bucks owe them.
Smart move by Cleveland to leverage an additional second.
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) November 17, 2020
Antetokounmpo is reportedly wavering on whether to sign a supermax deal with the Bucks, given that the team has failed to reach the NBA Finals despite holding the best record in the league the past two seasons.
Holiday is expected to be a significant upgrade over Eric Bledsoe for Milwaukee. Holiday is a legitimate scoring threat on a regular basis, and he’s also one of the league’s premier defenders at his position.
This past season, he averaged 19.1 points, 6.7 assists and 1.6 steals per game for a fast and exciting Pelicans squad.