It's official: Michael Carter-Williams is now a Chicago Bull.
This was a straight up one-for-one trade as the Bucks sent Carter-Williams to the Bulls in exchange for reserve guard Tony Snell. The deal was in the works on Saturday and made official Monday.
Milwaukee has been seemingly trying to move Carter-Williams since acquiring him from Philly at the trade deadline in 2015. At the time, it was a curious move as the Bucks shook up their roster in the middle of the season by trading Brandon Knight, who was flourishing and seemed like an ideal fit as the team's starting point guard, for Carter-Williams. But the deal was likely made due to Bucks coach Jason Kidd being enamored with Carter-Williams, who often drew comparisons to the future Hall of Fame guard-turned-coach.
Carter-Williams, who was named Rookie of the Year after the 2013-14 campaign, showed potential flashes of being an excellent playmaker. Yet despite Kidd's tutelage, Carter-Williams never took the next step in Milwaukee and his subpar shooting (especially from three, 27 percent last season), likely always led him to be mentioned in trade rumors.
In Chicago, Carter-Williams will likely become the Bulls' main point guard option off the bench, backing up Rajon Rondo. He is still capable of making big plays and his length allows him to be a decent defender, but the Bulls now have a glut at the point guard position. They drafted Denzel Valentine in June and also have Jerian Grant, Spencer Dinwiddie and Isaiah Canaan on the roster. But now that Carter-Williams is there, Grant, Dinwiddie or Canaan will likely be moved to clear up the logjam.
For Milwaukee, this trade makes sense as Carter-Williams was basically non-essential. The Bucks signed Matthew Dellavedova in the offseason and he will likely be their starting point guard. Also, Giannis Antetokounmpo will be a point forward at times, acting as the team's point guard.
But after Khris Middleton went down with an injury, the Bucks needed a two-guard and Snell helps in that respect. Snell is not a big-time scorer, but shot 36 percent from 3-point range last season. The addition of Snell along with rookie Malcom Brogdon and Rashard Vaughn helps the Bucks adequately make up for Middleton's absence. The trio likely won't be able to approximate what Middleton brings to the team but the Bucks at least now have some decent depth at shooting guard.
The Bucks likely came out on top of this trade as they were able to move on from Carter-Williams while filling a hole on their roster. Overall, this trade is somewhat minor for both teams, yet with both teams trying to get back to the playoffs, a small deal like this could possibly slightly aid their postseason chances.
