Milwaukee Bucks point guard Michael Carter-Williams is "undeniably gettable" in trade talks, according to ESPN's Marc Stein and Brian Windhorst. ESPN's Zach Lowe followed that up by saying the Bucks aren't convinced the young point guard is the long-term answer at the position.
The Bucks seem ready to trade Michael Carter-Williams a year after acquiring him, per reports
The Bucks reportedly aren’t convinced Carter-Williams is their point guard of the future.
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Milwaukee acquired Carter-Williams from the Philadelphia 76ers in a three-way deal at last year's trade deadline. The Bucks sent point guard Brandon Knight to the Phoenix Suns in the trade despite strong production from Knight in the first half of the season. With Knight set for a lucrative new contract and Carter-Williams fresh off a Rookie of the Year campaign, Milwaukee decided to take a chance on the former Sixer and have more time before making a big financial commitment at the point guard position.
However, things haven’t exactly worked out as hoped. Carter-Williams’s inability to shoot has cramped spacing on a roster where many of the core pieces are non-shooters. He’s currently coming off the bench for a Bucks team that’s been a huge disappointment, so the future of the 24-year-old is in question.
Why the Bucks would trade Carter-Williams
Carter-Williams hasn’t shown all that much development in his third season, and again, the fit with the Bucks’ core is questionable at best. The point guard has somewhat improved his overall efficiency and outside shooting, but he’s still under 29 percent from long range on less than an attempt per game and has a true shooting percentage under 50.
That's not ideal when Giannis Antetokounmpo is under 24 percent from three, Jabari Parker hasn't made a single three this season and Greg Monroe (who may or may not be available) isn't a threat from the outside. In a league where outside shooting is as important as ever, it's not tenable to have that many non-shooters playing big minutes because opposing defenses will exploit that weakness.
With Carter-Williams eligible for a long-term extension this summer, the Bucks may want to be rid of him now to avoid any contention on that front, because it sure doesn’t look like they want to commit to him on a long-term deal.
Why the Bucks wouldn’t trade Carter-Williams
Carter-Williams is a questionable fit on his team and the Bucks don’t seem all that high on him as their point guard of the future. However, his value isn’t all that high, so Milwaukee may not get any enticing offers. I’m giving a Carter-Williams trade a 5/10 chance of happening.
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