RealGM

By Joe Kaiser
The NBA's highly anticipated trade deadline is this Thursday, and there continues to be buzz that New Orleans could deal Eric Gordon. Dallas, Houston and Golden State are three teams reported to be interested in the sweet-shooting two-guard out of Indiana, but Milwaukee could offer a good fit.

Here's the thing about Milwaukee. The Bucks currently have two talented guards in Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis that probably aren't long for the roster. The feeling is that Jennings' decision to recently change agents was made to set him up for a big pay day in a bigger market, and just yesterday Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe wrote that Ellis is expected to decline his $11 million player option for next season and become a free agent.

It's clear that the Bucks need more stability and certainty in the backcourt going forward, and the irony is that Gordon -- someone who has done the exact opposite in New Orleans -- is a player who might be able to offer it in Milwaukee. Now, this is pure speculation on my part, but if Milwaukee offered up Ellis and a young talent like Tobias Harris for Gordon, which team would say no?

Such a deal would not only work, it would also allow Milwaukee to get past the Ellis era with a young player in Gordon who is from the Midwest and also signed for three seasons beyond this one. Adding a talent the caliber of Gordon via the free agent route is pretty much out of the question in Milwaukee, and other than getting lucky in the draft this is one of the only ways the Bucks can add a borderline star. The big question is whether Gordon would stop being a headache in Milwaukee, and if he could stay injury-free as well.

From New Orleans' perspective, they would be able to shed the money owed to Gordon and also would get a dynamic scorer in Ellis who is from the South and thus, might be more inclined to return for $11 million (his player option) with the Pelicans next season. On top of that, adding someone like Harris would give New Orleans a young talent with big potential at their weakest position.

Again, this is pure speculation, and it'd be a serious roll of the dice by both teams, but it's a trade that makes a lot of sense on a number of levels.

New Orleans could deal Eric Gordon. Dallas, Houston and Golden State are three teams reported to be interested

if Milwaukee offered up Ellis and a young talent like Tobias Harris for Gordon, which team would say no?

JimmyTheKid wrote:I'm down.

superelkman wrote:I think its more likely we trade for Ben Gordon than Eric Gordon.

whatthe_buck!? wrote:

superelkman wrote:I think its more likely we trade for Ben Gordon than Eric Gordon.

That's actually who I assumed was being referred to in the thread title before I opened the thread lol. I think the bucks acquiring a young player the caliber of an Eric Gordon by the deadline is an extremely remote possibility at this point, hope I'm dead wrong of course...

whatthe_buck!? wrote:

superelkman wrote:I think its more likely we trade for Ben Gordon than Eric Gordon.

That's actually who I assumed was being referred to in the thread title before I opened the thread lol. I think the bucks acquiring a young player the caliber of an Eric Gordon by the deadline is an extremely remote possibility at this point, hope I'm dead wrong of course...

eagle13 wrote:

if Milwaukee offered up Ellis and a young talent like Tobias Harris for Gordon, which team would say no?

New Orleans

SupremeHustle wrote:

whatthe_buck!? wrote:

superelkman wrote:I think its more likely we trade for Ben Gordon than Eric Gordon.

That's actually who I assumed was being referred to in the thread title before I opened the thread lol. I think the bucks acquiring a young player the caliber of an Eric Gordon by the deadline is an extremely remote possibility at this point, hope I'm dead wrong of course...

This is the Gordon to go after-



Team meals = off the chain.

SupremeHustle wrote:

whatthe_buck!? wrote:

superelkman wrote:I think its more likely we trade for Ben Gordon than Eric Gordon.

That's actually who I assumed was being referred to in the thread title before I opened the thread lol. I think the bucks acquiring a young player the caliber of an Eric Gordon by the deadline is an extremely remote possibility at this point, hope I'm dead wrong of course...

This is the Gordon to go after-



Team meals = off the chain.

The Bucks are positioned (and due) for an overhaul, and figure to be involved in much of the chatter leading up to this week’s trade deadline as the recently extended John Hammond susses out the best course of action. The future of the head coaching position is still undecided, though Jim Boylan has done a respectable job in an interim position. Brandon Jennings will be a restricted free agent, but is reportedly seeking a far larger contract than he’s actually worth. Three rotation-level role players are on expiring deals, and the Bucks will need to account for a potential extension for Larry Sanders in a year’s time.

All of which makes it easy to forget that high-scoring guard Monta Ellis also has the potential to enter free agency if he so wishes — an outcome that Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe refers to as being “expected.” Ellis has an early termination option that would allow him to opt-out of the final season of his six-year agreement with the Bucks, though in doing so he would leave $11 million on the table.

The chance that Ellis might bolt from Milwaukee this summer should give the Bucks some pause in navigating a potential reboot. Teams in this position can’t afford to give up useful players without receiving something in return, and yet re-signing Ellis could prove to be a terrible mistake for a franchise that may be best served by moving on. That’s true for exactly the same reason that the Bucks may have trouble getting any value in a potential liquidation trade; as good a scorer as Ellis is, he’s a very particular talent that requires specific conditions to be successful.