The Phoenix Suns have shipped point guard Eric Bledsoe to the Milwaukee Bucks for veteran center Greg Monroe, a 2018 protected first-round and a 2018 protected second-round draft pick, according to Adrian Wojnarowski and Zach Lowe of ESPN. Wojnarowski and Lowe reported that the teams reached an agreement, in principle, on deal terms late Monday night and finalized the terms Tuesday morning. Earlier, the Suns wanted to trade Bledsoe for Bucks guard, reigning Rookie of the Year Malcolm Brogdon.
With Bledsoe’s arrival, the Bucks will have a high-scoring team when he plays alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton.
Bledsoe’s trade is timely since the Bucks are in a slump, losing their last three games to drop to 4-5 on the season. In three games with the Suns this season, Bledsoe averaged 15.7 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 3.0 assists. Monroe played five games for the Bucks this season, tallying 6.8 points and 5.0 boards, but he did not suit up in their last four games.
Bledsoe might play against Spurs
According to Dave McMenamin of ESPN, Bledsoe will meet with the Bucks in San Antonio on Wednesday two days before they take on the Spurs. The trade has given the Bucks a $3.38 million trade exception that will be available to use for one year, in addition to their $5 million trade exception that will expire in February.
The Bucks are now $4.4 million below the luxury tax. With the trade, the Suns (4-7) now have three first-round picks in 2018. Aside from their pick, the Suns also have the Miami Heat’s pick, which is top-seven protected, and the lottery protected selection from the Bucks.
Knicks to trade big man
The New York Knicks are shopping one of their big men to accommodate center Joakim Noah into the roster when he returns from his 20-game suspension Monday for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.
According to Ian Begley of ESPN, the Knicks are offering forward Mindaugas Kuzminskas to other teams. However, Begley said the level of interest in Kuzminskas is unclear as he is not part of the Knicks rotation this season. The Knicks have 15 players with guaranteed contracts and need to create a roster spot for Noah.
The Knicks can also trade the 32-year-old Noah but Begley said the team hasn’t found any suitable deal for the two-time All-Star and 2013-14 Defensive Player of the Year.
In 46 games last season, Noah averaged 5.0 points, 8.8 boards and 2.2 assists per game. Kuzminskas, for his part, played 68 games for the Knicks last season, averaging 6.3 points and 1.9 rebounds per outing.
