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Well, the Milwaukee Bucks have finally traded Giannis Antetokounmpo, sending the Greek forward and veteran Bobby Portis to the Miami Heat for a rather underwhelming return including former Illinois men's basketball player Kasparas Jakucionis.
In exchange for Antetokoummpo and Portis, Milwaukee will be receiving Tyler Herro, Kel'el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Jakucionis and three first round picks, including the 13th overall pick in Tuesday's NBA Draft. Milwaukee now has the 10th and 13th picks in the NBA Draft.
For the Bucks, it was long past time to trade Antetokounmpo, who restored the franchise to relevancy and helped bring the organization's first championship in 40 years, with a 4-2 series victory against the Phoenix Suns during the 2021 NBA Finals.
Unfortunately, the Bucks have been an underachieving mess since that title, and I have little faith in General Manager Jon Horst and owner Jimmy Haslam to get the franchise back on track.
Milwaukee apparently had to have Jakucionis in the deal, which would seem promising for his career. Like I just wrote, I just don't have faith in what the Bucks are doing, though I certainly wish Jakucionis the very best and believe he can be a solid player in the NBA.
As a rookie with the Heat last season, Jakucionis averaged 6.2 points, 5.2 assists and 5.2 rebounds per game in 52 contests. As was the case during his lone season at Illinois, Kasparas is a guy who does a little bit of everything.
Whether it's with the Bucks or another team in time, Jakucionis just needs to keep grinding. The city of Milwaukee enjoys lunch-pail players so Kasparas and Jaquez Jr. could become fan favorites with their effort.
The NBA is a very hard product to watch, though I always root for the very best for former Illini like KJ.
In exchange for Antetokoummpo and Portis, Milwaukee will be receiving Tyler Herro, Kel'el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Jakucionis and three first round picks, including the 13th overall pick in Tuesday's NBA Draft. Milwaukee now has the 10th and 13th picks in the NBA Draft.
For the Bucks, it was long past time to trade Antetokounmpo, who restored the franchise to relevancy and helped bring the organization's first championship in 40 years, with a 4-2 series victory against the Phoenix Suns during the 2021 NBA Finals.
Unfortunately, the Bucks have been an underachieving mess since that title, and I have little faith in General Manager Jon Horst and owner Jimmy Haslam to get the franchise back on track.
Milwaukee apparently had to have Jakucionis in the deal, which would seem promising for his career. Like I just wrote, I just don't have faith in what the Bucks are doing, though I certainly wish Jakucionis the very best and believe he can be a solid player in the NBA.
As a rookie with the Heat last season, Jakucionis averaged 6.2 points, 5.2 assists and 5.2 rebounds per game in 52 contests. As was the case during his lone season at Illinois, Kasparas is a guy who does a little bit of everything.
Whether it's with the Bucks or another team in time, Jakucionis just needs to keep grinding. The city of Milwaukee enjoys lunch-pail players so Kasparas and Jaquez Jr. could become fan favorites with their effort.
The NBA is a very hard product to watch, though I always root for the very best for former Illini like KJ.
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