Milwaukee Bucks trade for much-needed frontcourt depth in 4-team deal

The Milwaukee Bucks have a history of being active at the trade deadline under Jon Horst and have struck a deal once again, this time acquiring Serge Ibaka in a four-team deal.

In a trade reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Bucks acquired Serge Ibaka from the Los Angeles Clippers, two future second-round picks and cash while shipping out Donte DiVincenzo to the Sacramento Kings and Rodney Hood and Semi Ojele to the Clippers. In the deal, the Kings also acquired Trey Lyles and Josh Jackson from the Detroit Pistons while Detroit received Marvin Bagley Jr. from the Kings. The full trade is laid out below.

The Milwaukee Bucks have reportedly acquired Serge Ibaka in exchange for Donte DiVincenzo and others in a four-team trade.

With Brook Lopez sitting out due to a back injury since the first game, Milwaukee has been searching for an additional big man all season. They’ve cycled through guys like Sandro Mamukelashvili, DeMarcus Cousins, Semi Ojeley and Greg Monroe without any success. There’s no saying when Lopez will return–he just had his back checked up on in Los Angeles, but the Bucks have been eerily quiet about his status–so adding Ibaka as an insurance policy makes sense.

Ibaka can play alongside either Bobby Portis or Giannis Antetokounmpo in the frontcourt which is an important piece. He’s also a versatile enough defender to bang with big bodies down low while also switching adequately on the perimeter. He was a very good shot blocker throughout most of his career, but is averaging a career-low 0.7 blocks per game this season.

Offensively, he can do a decent job at stretching the floor, as he’s a career 36 percent three-point shooter while hitting 38.7 percent of those looks this year. He’s mostly a jump-shooter on that end of the floor with over half of his shots coming from 10 feet and beyond.

It will be interesting to monitor Ibaka’s health as well. He’s missed time this year due to a back injury, which, as the Bucks know with Lopez, can be fickle beasts. If he stays healthy, he’ll give Milwaukee a nice backup big who can potentially play rotational minutes in the postseason if needed.

With the addition of two second-rounders, the Bucks also gain the ability to make future deals whether it be in the wee hours of the trade deadline or in the future.