It’s crazy the difference a year can make. Last season, Brandon Jennings led the Bucks to the playoffs and a near first round upset of the Hawks. Averaging 15.5 points, 5.7 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game, I made the argument that he – not Tyreke Evans – deserved to win NBA Rookie of the Year. (Unfortunately it didn’t turn out that way.) But after last year’s run, all signs pointed towards Jennings being the fearless leader for a young Bucks squad for the foreseeable future. That may no longer be the case.
According to Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the Bucks reportedly would be open to listening to offers for Jennings. This may even surprise Young Money himself.
Despite missing 19 games to injury this season, Jennings still managed to average 16.2 points, 4.8 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game. But just like his freshman campaign, he struggled to shoot a good percentage from the floor – although he did improve from 37.1 to 39.0 percent. With veterans Andrew Bogut, Corey Maggette and John Salmons locked in for at least the next two seasons, a traditional pass-first point guard might make more sense for Milwaukee to service those scorers. And with Michael Redd‘s albatross of a contract finally coming off the books, they finally have some flexibility to make a move.
In this June’s NBA Draft, the Bucks have the 10th pick – the same pick they had when they drafted Jennings just two years ago. And coming off a 35-47 season where they just missed the playoffs, Milwaukee will do whatever it takes to close the gap this summer. After ranking last in the NBA in terms of offensive efficiency, a change has to be made – I just don’t think anyone thought that change would mean moving Jennings.
So assuming the Bucks are are open to listening to offers for Jennings, who might be interested? Despite making the playoffs this year, you have to think that the Knicks – who are still probably kicking themselves for drafting Jordan Hill over Jennings – would love to add him to the roster. Also, a team like the Kings might love to pair Jennings and Evans in the backcourt, or the Lakers could make a run and bring back some Showtime to L.A.
What do you think? If you’re the Bucks, do you trade Jennings?
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