The Deal
Bucks get: Guard Greivis Vasquez
Raptors get: No. 46 pick, 2017 L.A. Clippers protected first-round pick
Milwaukee Bucks: D
The Bucks stole the 2017 first-round pick from the Clippers a year ago to take on Jared Dudley's salary, but I don't think this trade maximizes its value.
Milwaukee will get one season of Vasquez, who's fairly paid at $6.6 million but whose salary will cut into the Bucks' ample cap space this summer. Milwaukee will still have about $15 million under the cap, assuming Dudley opts into the final season of his contract -- and he'd probably re-sign for a similar amount if he does become a free agent. That figures to be enough to make an offer for Tyson Chandler, one of the centers ESPN's Marc Stein recently reported the Bucks are interested in this summer. However, adding Vasquez could take Milwaukee out of the mix for Brook Lopez, the other player Stein reported was on the Bucks' list.
That might be worth giving up a first-round pick if Vasquez was a clear upgrade, but it's a little tricky to see how he fits with a Bucks team that just added a pair of point guards (Michael Carter-Williams and Tyler Ennis) four months ago at the trade deadline. Vasquez has become a good enough 3-point shooter (nearly 38 percent each of the past two seasons) to play off the ball. So Milwaukee might see this as a situation in which Vasquez could end up playing both guard positions off the bench depending how much Ennis improves in his second season.
Even though the Clippers' first-round pick is likely to be late in the round -- and has limited upside because it is lottery-protected -- I'd still rather have that rookie contract for four years and spend Vasquez's salary in free agency.
Toronto Raptors: B
Dealing Vasquez, who averaged 24 minutes per game last season, leaves a hole in the Raptors' rotation. So this trade wasn't a no-brainer, but I understand Toronto grabbing value while it was available.
The Raptors also give themselves more flexibility this summer, depending how free agency goes. With cap holds for Amir Johnson and Lou Williams on the books, Toronto would probably remain over the cap because it wouldn't be able to clear more space than it could spend using the non-taxpayer mid-level exception. If one of those players leaves, however -- or if Johnson re-signs for a substantially smaller starting salary -- the Raptors could now go under the cap to try to replace them.
Should Williams return, trading Vasquez gives Toronto the ability to get a more defensive-minded backup to play with him on the bench. The Raptors couldn't stop anyone last season, and while Vasquez was hardly the biggest problem, he wasn't part of the solution either. Toronto quickly replaced Vasquez by drafting Utah point guard Delon Wright 20th overall. Wright's size and defensive prowess make him an excellent complement to Williams, provided the Sixth Man Award winner re-signs.