[UPDATE: This trade was folded into the Durant blockbuster and turned into a four-team deal. It’s now official.]
4:24pm: Eric Nehm of The Athletic has the details on the second-round picks the Bucks are trading in the three-team deal. They are as follows:
To the Pacers:
- Either the Bucks’ own 2023 second-round pick or the least favorable of the Cavaliers’ and Warriors’ 2023 second-round pick.
- Note: If the season ended today, the Bucks would get the Cavaliers’ second-round pick (which is less favorable than the Warriors’ pick) and then would send the Cavs’ pick to Indiana, since it’s more favorable than Milwaukee’s second-rounder.
- The Bucks’ own 2024 second-round pick.
- The Pacers’ 2025 second-round pick (which was traded to Milwaukee in a prior deal).
To the Nets:
- The Bucks’ 2028 second-round pick.
- The Bucks’ 2029 second-round pick.
As we relayed in a separate story, Terry Taylor is also being waived by the Pacers to help accommodate the incoming players.
11:05am: Veteran forward Jae Crowder is being traded to the Bucks, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link), who reports that the Nets have agreed to a trade that will send Crowder to Milwaukee, with the Bucks giving up a total of five second-round picks.
Sources tell Charania (via Twitter) that it will be a three-team trade, with Bucks forward Jordan Nwora and two second-round picks (via the Bucks) heading to the Pacers. Indiana is waiving reserve center Goga Bitadze to make room for Nwora, Charania adds (Twitter link).
In addition, the Pacers will receive guard George Hill, an Indianapolis native who had a previous five-year stint with Indiana, and a third second-round pick, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports (via Twitter). Center Serge Ibaka will also be heading to the Pacers, per Charania (Twitter link). Both players were previously on the Bucks.
Here’s the deal as we know it so far, with bits and pieces coming in over time:
- Bucks receive Crowder ($10.18MM)
- Nets receive two second-round picks via Milwaukee (not confirmed), save a ton of money toward the luxury tax
- Pacers receive Nwora ($3MM), Hill ($4MM), Ibaka ($2.9MM salary, $1.8MM cap hit) and three second-rounders (not confirmed) via Milwaukee; will waive Bitadze.
The Pacers are one of only two NBA teams with cap space available — the Spurs are the other — so they can take on money without having to worry about matching salaries. As the deal stands, Indiana will have to waive two more players and its cap space is down to $1.9MM, tweets Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype. Only Nwora is under contract beyond this season — Hill and Ibaka are on expiring deals.
Crowder, 32, has sat out the entire 2022/23 season while awaiting a trade. He was sent to the Nets as part of the blockbuster trade that will send Kevin Durant to Phoenix, and now will be rerouted to Milwaukee.
The Bucks had been linked to Crowder for months in trade rumors — they were recently granted permission to speak with him, and now they are finally acquiring him.
In 67 games (28.1 MPG) with Phoenix in ’21/22, Crowder averaged 9.3 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 1.9 APG and 1.4 SPG on .399/.348/.789 shooting. He makes $10.18MM in the final year of his contract.
According to John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM (Twitter link), Suns head coach Monty Williams spoke to Crowder over the summer to inform him that Cameron Johnson (who was also sent to the Nets in the Durant deal) would be the starting power forward in ’22/23.
Crowder responded by saying he would prefer a contract extension or a trade. Evidently Williams found the 3-and-D specialist “too difficult to manage” and preferred to have him away from the team, per Gambadoro.
Bitadze is earning $4.77MM in the final season of his rookie scale contract. The former 18th overall pick has only appeared in 21 games for an average of 9.6 minutes per contest this season. He will become an unrestricted free agent if he clears waivers.
Nwora, meanwhile, was the 45th overall pick of the 2020 draft. He re-signed with the Bucks on a two-year, $6.2MM contract in the offseason, but hasn’t played much, appearing in 38 games with averages of 6.0 PPG and 3.1 RPG in 15.7 MPG.
The 24-year-old has some offensive upside — he has converted 37.6% of his career three-pointers, including 39.2% this season. However, he’s a subpar defender and obviously wasn’t in the Bucks’ long-term plans. The Pacers will be taking a flyer on him in addition to adding a trio of second-rounders.
Ibaka seems likely to be bought out or waived by the Pacers and headed elsewhere as a free agent. Hill is less certain — as previously mentioned, he likely he has fans in the organization due to his previous run with the team.
Now watch him get hurt in his first minutes.
Don’t jinx him
5 second round picks? They must be getting more than Crowder. If not, that’s a funny return. Brooklyn just wants as many shots at young talent as it can grab.
FIVE picks? Wtf. I guess they’re very late picks so not worth much, but that’s odd …
This whole thing is extremely confusing from the beginning, and again after the KD deal, but they did just get a bunch of assets and can just use DFS in what would have been a potential Crowder starting spot next to Bridges…
A little curious to see them move him to such a close competitor though, but I guess that’s where the 5 picks come in
Edit: Nwora gave them floor spacing in certain lineups as depth at the 4/3, but Ingles can give you minutes there, and Crowder is obviously a better 2 way guy, so that makes some sense for Milwaukee
Nwora is a streaky shooter at best, and defensively..I don’t know that we’re losing much there from a guy who averages 15 minutes a game..when he actually gets in.
Assuming Middleton is healthy now, he was even more expendable.
Still, Nwora and 5 2nd rd picks seems like a lot for a guy who sat out half the season, and is a FA (unless I’m mistaken..) this summer. We shall see.
Ya I wasnt trying to argue Nwora doesnt have consistency issues on both ends of the floor
The Milwaukee bucks have a habit of getting a guy in under uneasy circumstances around the player and the commitment by the bucks makes said player feel good. Thus gaining a real chance at resigning him in the offseason. You have to do these things if you want to contend in a small market.
This is like the Utah tank all over again. Tons of draft equity and still going to have a talented team.
Except the nets don’t have an incentive to tank as their own picks go to Houston, outright or via swap
Why didn’t the Nets get Ibaka in return? The Nets desperately need some size in the front court.
Actually, ya that would have been a really good fit for them as a backup big
Could end up with him anyway if the Pacers buy him out.
Goga was a huge L for the Pacers. Also kinda hope the Nets try to keep winning because they kinda have a fun team here that good snag a 5 or 6 seed
Bucks get a competent defender who can hit an occasional 3. Seems like a great trade for Milwaukee, and will really help with the Middleton situation
Lol FIVE second round picks
Stoked that George is coming home!
Kinda stoked myself..that we are rid of him. Nothing against him as a human being, but he’s either been injured, or Bud insisted on playing him even though he wasn’t really contributing anything, for the last two years now.
1. Milwaukee’s 2nd round picks are almost worthless. 2. The Nets getting under the tax saves them more than Crowder’s salary. 3. Crowder and Ayton are too hard to manage along with last year’s playoff choke means Monty has worn out his welcome.
So is Crowder going to help the Bucks or is he a head case and potential distraction? 2nd rd picks seem pretty much useless the way they’re thrown around, so it might hurt depth somewhere down the line, but worth it to compete for another championship. Good luck to Nwora, hope he finds a spark.
Crowder has been involved in trades including Irving, Lebron, and now Durant. Man is that wild.
And I believe until this deal (well, yesterday’s deal involving Durant..), all of his former teams (coaches, teammates, F.O. people) didn’t really want to lose him, but his salary always seemed to fit perfectly to get deals done.
Bucks gave up to much for a 32 year old man who averages less than points a game. I realize he is pretty good on defense but hasn’t played at all this year so what kind of shape is he in and a free agent the end of the year.
He isn’t even that good on defense.
Waiving those two guys is dumb. Terry Taylor is a 6’5 pf. Give me a break. He should be playing pg out there. The NBA today is not as athletic as the players of the past. Next we will have 6’3 centers.