Milwaukee Bucks are not here to fuck around. You might be but they’re not. The Bucks did the thing that everyone wanted them to do. Make a big splash and show they’re serious about winning a title and getting Giannis Antetokounmpo to stay in Milwaukee. The hope is that Jrue Holiday is that guy. Milwaukee traded for Jrue Holiday for Eric Bledsoe, George Hill, and a host of draft picks. Three draft picks and two pick swaps (Milwaukee keeps their pick, but New Orleans can swap picks with them). It is a huge amount of draft capital for a New Orleans team that will likely try to do similar things to keep Zion Williamson. But it’s 1000 percent worth it for Milwaukee.

Holiday is an excellent player. He had several suitors, and it’s pretty clear Milwaukee used the whole Dennis Schroder thing as a smokescreen. Holiday brings several things to the table for the Bucks. He is an excellent defender. Milwaukee has some of the best two-way players in the league. They’re going to be difficult to beat night in and night out on the defensive side of the ball. Offensively, they will not be bad either. Holiday is a smart player who can fill it up and find the open man. The guy is exactly the type of point guard you want leading the team.

There will be some that will make the case for Chris Paul. For those people, they’re not paying enough attention to comments made by Antetokounmpo that he did not want Paul. And Holiday gives Milwaukee a few things. One, a younger guy that has some life left in his legs. Second, financial flexibility is there. Holiday has one year left on his deal and can opt-in to a player option yet likely, there will be 26 million in cap space for Milwaukee next season. While Paul wasn’t ever a part of the plan, Holiday would have been a better option 9.5 times out of te.

Milwaukee Bucks general manager Jon Horst deserves a ton of credit for pulling this off. Milwaukee hung out in the weeds. Never really showed their hand with Holiday despite him being the ideal upgrade and they found a deal that worked. Is it an overpay? Not at all. Giannis stays, none of those picks matter. And part of me thinks he will be here for a long time.

Charlie.