Butler returns to his home state of Milwaukee.
The Phoenix Suns traded veteran forward Caron Butler to the Milwaukee Bucks Thursday, in return receiving Bucks guard Ish Smith and center Viacheslav Kravtsov. Butler, acquired by the Suns in a trade from the Clippers July 10th, returns to his home state of Milwaukee where he grew up. Since Milwaukee had cap-space, they were able to absorb Butler’s 1 year, $8 million dollar contract. In turn, the Suns will save roughly $6 million in cap space.
Phoenix: B-
Butler was sent to Phoenix as a part of the Eric Bledsoe trade. While his veteran presence would have aided the young Suns, Phoenix is beginning a full rebuild, and clearing cap space was the primary motive for this deal. Saving $6 million while acquiring young assets in Smith and Kravtsov is a positive move in that regard. However, there isn’t much to like about the players received; Smith has yet to make an impact in the NBA thus far (Phoenix will be his sixth team in four seasons), and minutes will be even harder to come by with the likes of Dragic, Bledsoe, and Marshall playing ahead of him. At this point I can’t rule out the Suns waiving him before the regular season. Kravtsov provides a little bit of intrigue. Traded by Detroit to Milwaukee in the Brandon Jennings deal, Kravtsov played 25 games for the Pistons his rookie year, averaging 3.1 points and 1.8 rebounds in 9 minutes per game. His potential is likely maxed (he was 26 years old as a rookie), but he has great size for the position and could play in a reserve role. Acquiring a pick in return would have made the deal sweeter, but I doubt that was ever a realistic option.
Milwaukee: B+
The Bucks have had a roster overhaul this summer. At one point it was tough to gauge whether the team was looking to rebuild or make another run at the playoffs. Acquiring Butler makes the Bucks intent clear, they are going for the playoffs again. Butler still has some ability to score the ball, averaging 10.4 points a game last season with the Clippers in 24 minutes a game. He’ll likely play behind Ilyasova, sharing minutes with Carlos Deflino. Essentially, Butler gives the Bucks even more depth. He doesn’t make them significantly better, but finishing as the 7th or 8th seed isn’t out of the question now, though it is far from assured. Returning to his home state also makes this a sweet deal for Butler and the Bucks.
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