Did the Bucks try to trade Khris Middleton, Malcolm Brogdon for Kyrie Irving?

The Milwaukee Bucks were, or were not, close to trading for Kyrie Irving, or not trading for Kyrie Irving, this offseason, a moment that has now closed after the Cleveland Cavaliers dealt Irving to the Boston Celtics. If nothing else, it’s a fascinating thought experiment as we come down from a brief crescendo to the offseason doldrums.

Phoenix-area radio host John Gambadoro, who has broken Suns news before and has connections with that team’s front office, says Milwaukee offered Khris Middleton, Malcolm Brogdon, and a first-round pick for Irving. Gambadoro has good sourcing within the Suns front office, and there’s no agenda Phoenix would be pushing with that scoop.

On the other hand, The Associated Press’ Jon Krawczynski cited multiple sources when refuting the idea that those players had been offered. For what it’s worth, the Bucks would have strong reason to deny such a report after it came out — they wouldn’t want Brogdon or Middleton to feel unwanted.

We’re left with the classic conflicting reports and no real way to discern where the confusion came in. Perhaps the two sides discussed such a deal, with no formal offer. Maybe Cleveland suggested a trade similar to that one and was rebuffed. There are any number of reasons why two reporters would have heard different stories about a similar event.

We’ll likely never know for certain, but here’s why the trade likely never materialized.

The Boston deal they received was much better. It included a better pick and two veterans who are better than the two players Milwaukee would have been — really or hypothetically — offering. Milwaukee would have been a good fallback, but Boston was demonstrably better.

Milwaukee was actually a better offensive team last season (No. 13) than defensive (No. 19) one, but its need for a go-to scorer showed in the postseason. Giannis Antetokounmpo is getting there, but his poor jump shooting can hinder him at times. Irving, a good spot-up shooter, would fit well on or off the ball.

Still, the Bucks aren’t in any rush. Their identity as a team with an arsenal of rangy, long-limbed, two-way players is still developing, and both Middleton and Brogdon fit right into that mindset. Irving wouldn’t. It’s better for the Bucks not to rush to any conclusions — and that’s why such a deal might never have been offered, depending on which report is the truth.

In the end, Cleveland won by obtaining a much better offer and the Bucks are doing fine, too, still with a young core and room to grow.