Fansided

2019 NBA Draft grades for every team: Pelicans get an A+, Rockets get an F

By Brandon Jefferson

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 20: Zion Williamson poses with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver after being drafted with the first overall pick by the New Orleans Pelicans during the 2019 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center on June 20, 2019 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 20: Zion Williamson poses with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver after being drafted with the first overall pick by the New Orleans Pelicans during the 2019 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center on June 20, 2019 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) /
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MILWAUKEE, WI – MAY 15: Brook Lopez #11 of the Milwaukee Bucks handles the ball against the Toronto Raptors during Game One of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2019 NBA Playoffs on May 15, 2019 at the Fiserv Forum Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images). /

Milwaukee Bucks – INCOMPLETE

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, the Milwaukee Bucks took a similar approach to the Houston Rockets in the 2019 NBA Draft. That approach? Draft nobody. The Bucks traded away both the 30th and 60th picks in the draft last night and all they got back was Jon Leur from the Detroit Pistons. Earlier in this article, I blasted the Houston Rockets for actively choosing to sit out of the festivities last night and it turns out the Bucks took that approach even a step forward when they chose to give away their picks during the draft.

Yet, unlike the Rockets, Milwaukee’s motivation for saying on the sideline Thursday night was much clearer. The Bucks were doing all that they could to free up more cap space before the beginning of free agency. Milwaukee has Brook Lopez, Khris Middleton, Malcolm Brogdon, and Nikola Mirotic hanging in the balance for next season as all can test the market. Middleton is likely to command a max salary from the Bucks and it is unlikely that Milwaukee does not offer it to him. Brogdon is a restricted free agent who holds value across the league, the potential of a team offering him $20 million a year is very real. Lopez and Miroic were big reasons for the team’s success as they spaced the floor for Giannis Antetokounmpo. Milwaukee does not have bird rights for either player so they would have to use salary cap space to re-sign them.

Since they didn’t add any rookies, the Bucks have the chance to get up to $34 million in cap space–it would mean releasing George Hill, Pat Connaughton, and Sterling Brown who all have non-guaranteed deals for 2019-20. More likely they keep two out of those three and get up to $14 million to try and bring Lopez back on a market value deal and then go over the cap to bring back Middleton and Brogdon.

Their draft receives an incomplete because it truly cannot be judged until we see what the team does with the saved money in free agency this summer. Keep the team together and passing up on making a pick looks good. Lose multiple pieces and then the decision not to bring anyone in to try and replace the players lost their moves look a lot worse.

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