Milwaukee Bucks: Caron Butler Trade Feels Underwhelming

Gary A. Vasquez – USA Today Sports Images

Caron Butler had another solid season last year with the Los Angeles Clippers. In 78 games last year, the 33-year-old averaged 10.4 points and 2.9 rebounds in 24.1 minutes per game on 42.4 percent shooting and 38.8 percent shooting from beyond-the-arc. Despite a relatively poor field goal percentage and a sub-par defensive effort, Butler still ranked a decent 102^nd in the NBA with an average of 0.97 points per possession last season.

Butler was sent to the Phoenix Suns earlier this summer, but that’s not where he’s going to be playing his basketball this season. At the end of this past week, the Suns agreed to send Butler to the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for Ish Smith and Viacheslav Kravtsov. The Suns are making the move to save money and acquire young assets, but it’s somewhat unclear why the Bucks agreed to the deal.

One of the reasons that Milwaukee might have wanted Butler on their roster is their need for a veteran presence on their team. In that sense, Butler is a good guy for the Bucks to grab. After 11 years in the league and runs with five separate teams over his career, Butler is a guy who knows the ropes and intricacies of the Association.

However, what makes the move curious for Milwaukee is the fact that it really doesn’t do their team any favors. Particularly with the Bucks already signing Carlos Delfino, a veteran with a comparable skill set to Butler’s, this summer, Butler really only brings a bit of redundancy on the wing more than anything.

The Bucks are a team that seems to be stuck in the mud right now. They have an extremely talented young frontcourt with guys like Larry Sanders, John Henson and Ersan Ilyasova, but still seem to be missing the mark a bit elsewhere on their roster. The Butler trade seems to be yet another example of that.

Cody Williams is a Senior Writer with Rant Sports. Follow Cody on Twitter @TheSizzle20, add him on Google and like his Facebook page.