The deal
Bucks get: Center Tyler Zeller
Nets get: Guard Rashad Vaughn, protected 2018 second-round pick
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Milwaukee Bucks: C-
The Bucks have been short a center in their rotation since dealing Greg Monroe to the Phoenix Suns in the Eric Bledsoe deal. John Henson has solidified the starting role, backed up by second-year pro Thon Maker, with Giannis Antetokounmpo occasionally sliding to the 5 in smaller, more athletic lineups.
Zeller is an upgrade on Maker, who has taken a step backward after a promising rookie campaign. Maker is making just 43 percent of his 2s and 31 percent of his 3s, leading to an ugly .482 true shooting percentage. Maker's defensive rebounding has also been a huge issue. With Maker on the court, Milwaukee has grabbed just 74.4 percent of available defensive rebounds according to NBA Advanced Stats, a rate that would rank last in the league. (The Bucks rebound 78.3 percent of opponent misses with Henson at center.)
That noted, Maker remains a big part of Milwaukee's future, which may keep him in the rotation. And if the goal was merely upgrading on Maker, that's setting the bar awfully low given he ranks 74th among centers in ESPN's real plus-minus. The Bucks may well have been able to find a superior option on the buyout market after the trade deadline without having to give up a pick.
After all, Zeller was one of the last veterans signed to a guaranteed contract this summer, languishing as an unrestricted free agent until signing with the Nets for the veteran's minimum in September. He has provided his usual play this season, shooting a high percentage from the field (56.7 percent on 2-point attempts) without much in the way of rim protection (Zeller's 2.3 blocks per 100 opponent 2-point attempts is barely better than the league average of 2.1 for power forwards).
All that considered, I wouldn't have given up a second-round pick to get Zeller. Milwaukee will hope not to until 2020. If the Bucks finish with one of the league's 13 best records, they'll send this year's second-round pick to Phoenix from the Monroe trade and their 2020 second-rounder to complete this one. By then, Milwaukee could be good enough that its second-round pick won't hold much value. Projections using ESPN's Basketball Power Index give the Bucks about a two-thirds chance of that scenario playing out.
Brooklyn Nets: A
For the Nets, this qualifies as a nice piece of business, to use the soccer parlance. Brooklyn got 33 starts out of Zeller and then turned him into a second-round pick.
Already, Zeller's role with the Nets had diminished because of the emergence of rookie Jarrett Allen as a starter and the addition of Jahlil Okafor. After averaging 19.6 minutes per game in December, Zeller hadn't topped 17 minutes since the calendar turned to 2018 and had picked up a couple of DNP-CDs lately.
Along the lines of Okafor and Nik Stauskas, Vaughn could have some value as a reclamation project in Kenny Atkinson's system. However, the reporting by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski that the deal was made for the pick and Vaughn was simply included to match salary casts doubt on whether he'll stick in Brooklyn. The Nets may prefer to use the roster spot to sign a prospect to a non-guaranteed deal that extends beyond this season.