Welcome to trade rumor season in NBA. It took a few months, but we got there. Those on Twitter who care more about this stuff than basketball will be so pleased to have it back. Indiana Pacers guard Victor Oladipo kicked things off with a request to leave Indiana before the final year of his contract. Like Paul George before him, Oladipo is ready to bounce out of Indianapolis and find a new home. With only 21 million dollars left on his deal, there will be many teams trying to bring veteran guard in. Yes, he did have a bad season last year, but he came off a terrifying leg injury. The hope would be in year two he’s fully recovered and ready to roll.

What does the trade look like? Well, it’s pretty simple. That 21 million a year clip is perfect for moving Eric Bledsoe along. Hell, that would be a great 1-to-1 trade, but Bledsoe isn’t that good. Donte DiVincenzo would likely need to come with. I don’t think D.J. Wilson is enough there to get it done instead of Donte. Adding a draft pick is likely not needed with Indiana having him on an expiring deal and likely losing him the following year. If Bucks could include Bledsoe plus the 2023 first rounder I’ll be thrilled.

Now, comes the other part of the equation, does he make sense in Bucks’ offense? Bucks would be upgrading their third-scoring option from Bledsoe to Oladipo which is a major one. Two-time All-Star, a guy who can score at will and fearless to get to the rim. Like Bledsoe, he is not a strong three-point shooter, but my hope is the 31 percent this year was an aberration. He is typically closer to the 35% range which isn’t ideal yet doable. Bucks would need to upgrade at point guard still with George Hill taking over for Bledsoe. I like Hill, but he is a second unit guy more than anything else. The idea of Antetokounmpo-Middleton-Oladipo is pretty tough to spot.

The other parts of checking the box with Oladipo are to appease Giannis. Adding him is not a super team move by any stretch of the imagination. He also is a gritty, tough worker. He would fit in nicely with what Milwaukee already has on their team. The injury stuff doesn’t worry too much either with Suki Hobson. She’s one of the best in the business and can ensure that he doesn’t have any lingering effects with that quad injury.

Get it done, Jon Horst.

Charlie.