The Chicago Bulls are in deep talks with the Milwaukee Bucks on a trade that would send swingman Tony Snell to Milwaukee in exchange for point guard Michael Carter-Williams, reports Zach Lowe and Marc Stein of ESPN.
Michael Carter-Williams, the 2013 Rookie of the Year winner, struggled in the last two seasons with the Bucks after starting out with the Philadelphia 76ers. He averaged 12.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, 6.1 assists, and 1.7 steals in 79 games in Milwaukee, but his lack of shooting sunk the Bucks’ offense.
After Giannis Antetokounmpo took the role of point forward midway through last season, Carter-Williams was demoted to the bench. Since then, Carter-Williams’ name has since been swirling about in trade rumors.
Problems may arise with Carter-Williams joining a backcourt rotation severely short on shooting, but at the very least he’s a versatile defender, and a definite upgrade over Isaiah Canaan as the primary backup to Rajon Rondo.
Snell, on the other hand, has stagnated in his development in three seasons with the Bulls. The 6-foot-7 small forward has shown very little utility aside from outside shooting (35.1 percent from deep) as he holds a career averages of 5.3 points and 2.3 rebounds in 18.5 minutes in Chicago.
However, Milwaukee has been desperately scouring the trade market for potential 3-and-D wings after losing Khris Middleton to a season-ending injury. Snell isn’t perfect, and he’s a long way from replacing Middleton, but he at least fits the bill of what Milwaukee is in search for.
