Trade grades: Can Michael Beasley replace Khris Middleton for Bucks?
The deal
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Bucks get: Forward Michael Beasley
Milwaukee Bucks: C
Less than 24 hours after news broke that Bucks wing Khris Middleton is expected out six months after surgery to repair a torn hamstring, Milwaukee responded with a trade to add wing depth. The specific choice of replacement is surprising.
Looking at the Bucks roster sans Middleton, however, shot creation didn't seem to be their biggest need. In the starting lineup, Jabari Parker figured to pick up some of the plays Middleton was previously using as he stepped into a larger role. (Already, Parker's usage went from 18.6 percent of the team's plays before the All-Star break to 23.9 percent afterward, with improved efficiency.) And Greg Monroe figured to be the offensive focal point of the second unit, presuming he'd continue coming off the bench as he did late in 2015-16.
Instead, the greater concern for Milwaukee appeared to be losing Middleton's shooting ability. He made a team-high 143 3-pointers last season, and during the offseason the Bucks had already lost their other two players with more than 50 made 3s, Jerryd Bayless and O.J. Mayo. Milwaukee did add quality shooters in Matthew Dellavedova and Mirza Teletovic via free agency, but those players aren't really wings who would step in for Middleton.
Three-point shooting isn't Beasley's game. While he has made as many as 60 triples in a season (in 2010-11 for Minnesota), he's a career 34.3 percent shooter from long range. Nor is defense, the other key element the Bucks lose with Middleton's injury. So it's hard to see Beasley slotting well into a small role for the Bucks.
The upside for the Bucks is they didn't give up much to get Beasley. Ennis was at best third on the depth chart at point guard behind Dellavedova and Michael Carter-Williams, and Jason Terry and rookie Malcolm Brogdon can slide over to the position. There was a realistic chance Milwaukee turned down the fourth-year option on Ennis' rookie contract, which would have functionally ended his Bucks career.
Presuming Milwaukee doesn't consider the hole on the wing filled and continues to search for other solutions, this is a reasonable low-cost bet. If it's the end of that search, that could be a problem for the Bucks.
Houston Rockets: B-
The Rockets signed Beasley for the veteran's minimum in March, tacking on a second season that became guaranteed over the summer. From that perspective, flipping him for a recent first-round pick is a solid outcome. Houston will have training camp and the preseason to see how Ennis fits in Mike D'Antoni's offense before facing a decision on whether to pick up his 2017-18 option.
An undersized defender who's not an accomplished NBA 3-point shooter (he shot 30.5 percent on 82 attempts), Ennis doesn't really fit the mold of point guards the Rockets have put next to James Harden. So the best-case scenario for him in Houston might be developing into a solid complement to Eric Gordon in the backcourt when Harden is on the bench.
Getting to that point will require Ennis to show more playmaking ability. He has handed out just 5.7 assists per 36 minutes over his first two seasons and has struggled to finish when he gets to the basket, validating concerns from scouts that he wasn't athletic enough to succeed against NBA opponents.
But Ennis just recently turned 22, so it's certainly possible he could break through in a system more favorable for point guards.
