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I think Giannis stays and the only way for the Bucks to add any contributors is to send out Dame's salary slot. Now, the problem is that very few teams would want to pay 120 million for the next two years of Dame. The Wizards will be tanking hard next year to avoid having their pick convey to the Knicks (it is top 8 protected, otherwise it turns into a 2026 2nd and a 2027 2nd). They can afford to have Dame on the books (and not playing) in order to reach the salary floor, while sending out contributors back to the Bucks.

The deal is:

Wiz trade Jordan Poole+Marcus Smart (expiring) for Dame+2026 swap rights (the Wiz currently own the least favorable of OKC, Houston, and LAC's 2026 1st (will most likely be OKC's pick), so the swap would be (after NO swaps with the Bucks if they finish with a better record) this pick with the worst of NO/MIL 2026 1st)+2031 swap rights with the Bucks.

Why for the Wiz?
1). Simply put, they add more potential lotto balls in the future with a couple of pick swaps while helping with he tank and opening a roster spot.

Why for the Bucks?
1). They shave 26 million between Poole and Dame's last year's money, while adding a player who can play now (and was actually good last year for the Wizards) as well as a versatile expiring defender in Smart. I don't see any other team willing to take on Dame's last two years while giving up any contributing players.

very interesting

Interesting trade. It also works with the cheaper Corey Kispert in place of Marcus Smart if Milwaukee wanted to save more money so they can fill out their roster with the MLE and their TPE.

Good deal, if the pick incentive is enough for Washington.

Dame might take a big buyout next summer and Wash could save $30 million?

pipfan wrote:Good deal, if the pick incentive is enough for Washington.

Dame might take a big buyout next summer and Wash could save $30 million?

I think it's worth the gamble particularly for that 2031 Bucks swap.

The 2026 swap is probably valueless unless Giannis has a major injury. I figure Giannis and Poole alone are enough to get to 38-wins in the East.

I like this OP..good idea

nate33 wrote:

pipfan wrote:Good deal, if the pick incentive is enough for Washington.

Dame might take a big buyout next summer and Wash could save $30 million?

I think it's worth the gamble particularly for that 2031 Bucks swap.

The 2026 swap is probably valueless unless Giannis has a major injury. I figure Giannis and Poole alone are enough to get to 38-wins in the East.

Well, the Wizards will most likely get OKC’s 2026 1st, so they will assuredly jump some amount in next year’s draft (could be 5-10 spots) with this trade. Obviously the only reason the Wizards do the deal is for that 2031 swap rights aspect as you stated. I can’t see any other team that is a Dame fit if Giannis stays than the Wizards honestly. If the Bucks want contributors with Giannis, the Wizards are basically it

mhd wrote:

nate33 wrote:

pipfan wrote:Good deal, if the pick incentive is enough for Washington.

Dame might take a big buyout next summer and Wash could save $30 million?

I think it's worth the gamble particularly for that 2031 Bucks swap.

The 2026 swap is probably valueless unless Giannis has a major injury. I figure Giannis and Poole alone are enough to get to 38-wins in the East.

Well, the Wizards will most likely get OKC’s 2026 1st, so they will assuredly jump some amount in next year’s draft (could be 5-10 spots) with this trade. Obviously the only reason the Wizards do the deal is for that 2031 swap rights aspect as you stated. I can’t see any other team that is a Dame fit if Giannis stays than the Wizards honestly. If the Bucks want contributors with Giannis, the Wizards are basically it

My bad. You are right. I was thinking this was a swap of the Wizards pick, but it's a swap of the (likely) OKC pick. So basically, it's moving up 10-16 spots in the 2026 draft plus a possible lottery pick in the 2031 draft assuming Milwaukee is bottoming out at that time.

Swap or pick for the Bucks is the same, and they should get a better return than this.
Poole isn't good, Smart was dumped, they are better than 50M out for the year, but they aren't good.

Also, I think the Wizards can expand the deal to be Poole+Smart for Dame+the useless Connaughton's expiring (as well as the pick swaps as explained above) if the Bucks want to save more salary to use their exceptions to attract some vet FAs.

Mavrelous wrote:Swap or pick for the Bucks is the same, and they should get a better return than this.
Poole isn't good, Smart was dumped, they are better than 50M out for the year, but they aren't good.

Could you name a team that would take Dame's last two years while sending out contributors?

West:
1). Mavs (no way)
2). Spurs (ditto)
3). Rockets (ditto)
4). Lakers (ditto)
5). Clippers (ditto)
6). GSW (ditto)
7). Kings (ditto)
8). Minny (ditto)
9). OKC (ditto)
10). Denver (ditto)
11). Pels (can't see it as they want to win with Zion and it would hurt their 2026 swap rights they already have)
12). Memphis (ditto)
13). Portland (only if they dup Grant worthless longterm deal of 3 more years and he is useless on the Bucks. As much as it would be sentimental, no reason for them to trade for Dame)
14). Utah (they could do it for sure, but Austin Ainge just said they want contributors and want to try and compete. Will Lauri be happy with a useless Dame?)
15). Suns (no way)

East:
1). Knicks (no way)
2). Pacers (ditto)
3). Celtics (ditto)
4). Raptors (ditto)
5). Nets (can absorb Dame, but would want a haul more than this to rent their cap space)
6). Bulls (no way)
7). Detroit (no way)
8). Cavs (no way)
9). Magic (no way)
10). Hawks (no way)
11). Heat (no way)
12). Philly (no way)
13). Wiz (as stated above)
14). Hornets (could offer Bridges+Mark Williams, but would want to unload crappy contracts like Green & Grant Williams which make no sense for the Bucks).

Basically, Utah is the only other team that could trade for Dame by offering something comparable in terms of the expiring Sexton+Collins, but they would want the 2031 pick to be unprotected IMO for taking Dame's contract in full in exchange for expirings. I don't think the Bucks do that deal.

Mavrelous wrote:Swap or pick for the Bucks is the same, and they should get a better return than this.
Poole isn't good, Smart was dumped, they are better than 50M out for the year, but they aren't good.

Poole quietly posted 25 points/36 on a TS% of .591 while being the team's lone offensive threat and the focus of opposing defenses. (His teammates posted a collective TS% of just .538.)

Go compare his numbers to Lillard last year. Basically, they were very similar in points and scoring efficiency, though Lillard took much better care of the ball. I don't think it's all that unreasonable to believe that Poole would have been roughly as good as Lillard if he had Giannis on his team drawing so much defensive attention.

mhd wrote:

Mavrelous wrote:Swap or pick for the Bucks is the same, and they should get a better return than this.
Poole isn't good, Smart was dumped, they are better than 50M out for the year, but they aren't good.

Could you name a team that would take Dame's last two years while sending out contributors?

West:
1). Mavs (no way)
2). Spurs (ditto)
3). Rockets (ditto)
4). Lakers (ditto)
5). Clippers (ditto)
6). GSW (ditto)
7). Kings (ditto)
8). Minny (ditto)
9). OKC (ditto)
10). Denver (ditto)
11). Pels (can't see it as they want to win with Zion and it would hurt their 2026 swap rights they already have)
12). Memphis (ditto)
13). Portland (only if they dup Grant worthless longterm deal of 3 more years and he is useless on the Bucks. As much as it would be sentimental, no reason for them to trade for Dame)
14). Utah (they could do it for sure, but Austin Ainge just said they want contributors and want to try and compete. Will Lauri be happy with a useless Dame?)
15). Suns (no way)

East:
1). Knicks (no way)
2). Pacers (ditto)
3). Celtics (ditto)
4). Raptors (ditto)
5). Nets (can absorb Dame, but would want a haul more than this to rent their cap space)
6). Bulls (no way)
7). Detroit (no way)
8). Cavs (no way)
9). Magic (no way)
10). Hawks (no way)
11). Heat (no way)
12). Philly (no way)
13). Wiz (as stated above)
14). Hornets (could offer Bridges+Mark Williams, but would want to unload crappy contracts like Green & Grant Williams which make no sense for the Bucks).

Basically, Utah is the only other team that could trade for Dame by offering something comparable in terms of the expiring Sexton+Collins, but they would want the 2031 pick to be unprotected IMO for taking Dame's contract in full in exchange for expirings. I don't think the Bucks do that deal.

Sexton and Collins >> from Poole and Smart
Wizards are also getting healthy jump in 26 pick.
Bucks should trade 31 1st instead of losing control on a swap and getting bad pieces.

If Im the Wizards I take that... Poole and Smart is better than nothing, definitely, and you already have Kuzma, shame is way behind the Bucks right now.

BUCKS
In:Poole/PG/Bey
Out: Lillard/Kuzma/Connaughton/FRP31

76ers
In:Kuzma/Smart/Connaughton/3
Out:PG/5

Wizards
In: Lillard/3/Bucks 31
Out:Poole/Smart/Bey/5