Center Nick Richards is not, after all, joining the Milwaukee Bucks. What initially was reported as a two-team trade between the Bucks and Suns has been expanded to a three-team deal including the Chicago Bulls, per ESPN’s Shams Charania. Forward Nigel Hayes-Davis is still coming to Milwaukee. Amir Coffey and Cole Anthony are still going out. Instead of Richards, however, the second player acquired by the Bucks is 22-year-old wing Ousmane Dieng.
It’s still not exciting – Milwaukee had a decidedly lackluster deadline, with no other deals reported – but from the perspective of age, upside, and positional fit, the addition of Dieng makes marginally more sense.
Milwaukee adds former lottery pick, 2025 champion in low-risk play on upside
Dieng, who joined Chicago just yesterday via Oklahoma City, now heads to the Bucks to play out the remaining three months of his rookie contract. The former first-round pick is making $6.7 million this season on a team option. He will hit restricted free agency this offseason.
For Milwaukee, adding Dieng, a small forward, over Richards, a center, makes sense from a positional standpoint given their needs at the wing, Coffey’s departure, and the fact that they already have three centers on the roster: Myles Turner, Bobby Portis, and Jericho Sims.
From left: Thunder draft picks Jaylin Williams, Jalen Williams, Ousmane Dieng, and Chet Holmgren pose for a photo beside OKC general manager Sam Presti during a press conference on June 25, 2022.
With the Thunder this season, Dieng averaged 3.7 points on 36.7% shooting from distance in 27 games. Although Dieng is on an expiring contract, the Bucks would have a decent shot to re-sign him as a restricted free agent if they chose to. While Richards has a more established track record, taking a swing on a recent lottery pick in Dieng, potentially forging a connection for a longer-term contract this summer, is the more intriguing move.
Dieng, of course, was a member of Oklahoma City’s championship squad last season. Along with Giannis and Thanasis Antetokounmpo, Bobby Portis, and Kyle Kuzma, he is the only player on the roster with a ring.
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