Maker-Johnson deal may help Bucks defensively

The Milwaukee Bucks are trading center Thon Maker to the Detroit Pistons for forward Stanley Johnson, a source confirmed to the Journal Sentinel on Wednesday.

The trade news came just over 24 hours before the NBA’s trade deadline at 2 p.m. Thursday. It also ends more than a week of speculation regarding Maker’s future in Milwaukee after he and his agent publicly discussed his preference for more playing time and

openness for a trade.

Maker did not play in any of the Bucks’ past six games.

Johnson is a 6-foot-7, 245-pound, 22-year-old small forward who has gotten ample playing time in Detroit but struggled to demonstrate improvement since joining the Pistons as the No. 8 pick in the 2015 draft. His numbers have been fairly consistent year-over-year, with Johnson averaging 7.1 points on 37.2 percent shooting, including just 29.2 percent on threepointers, along with 3.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 22.1 minutes per game.

One positive in Johnson’s favor is his defensive numbers generally have been positive. With his size and athleticism, Johnson has the versatility to guard different types of players on the wing while switching comfortably against multiple positions.

Like Johnson’s time in Detroit, Maker’s three seasons in Milwaukee didn’t reach their fullest potential, though Maker had multiple standout moments. He had a quiet start to his rookie season after being the No. 10 pick in 2016, but then exploded onto the scene as a late-season addition to the starting lineup. He remained a starter in the playoffs against the Toronto Raptors, bringing floor-spacing and high-energy defense to help the Bucks push that series to six games.

Maker began his second season as a starter, but quickly fell out of the starting lineup and struggled to attain consistency throughout the campaign.

Then, again in the playoffs, he provided a major boost off the bench with 22 points and 10 blocks over Games 3 and 4 to help the Bucks swing their series against the Boston Celtics.

This season, Maker has shown flashes on both ends, but has mostly been displaced by free-agent addition Ersan Ilyasova and second-year forward D.J. Wilson in the rotation. He didn’t get much of a run as a regular rotation player, with coach Mike Budenholzer noting Tuesday night that Maker started the season out of the rotation and mostly got playing time when other players ahead of him were unavailable.

“Thon did well in a couple of his opportunities,” Budenholzer said. “It’s always a fluid thing, who’s in, who’s out. There’s a lot of things that go into it.”

Maker appeared in just 35 of the Bucks’ first 52 games, averaging 4.7 points and 2.7 rebounds in 11.7 minutes. He will get a chance at a fresh start in Detroit as he is under contract through the 2019-’20 season.

By making this trade — and barring another one soon — the Bucks seem to be betting on Ilyasova and Wilson as their main backup forwards behind star Giannis Antetokounmpo. In particular, Wilson has absorbed most of the backup minutes thanks to his drastic improvements, particularly his defensive versatility and effectiveness. In times when Antetokounmpo and Wilson have served as Milwaukee’s frontcourt, the Bucks have been an elite two-way force, especially on defense.

One downside of moving Maker, though, is his friendship with Antetokounmpo. The two forged a deep bond as they worked out together in the summer, sat together in the locker room and constantly talked to each other on the bench during games.

“Thon is like my little brother, this one hurts more than any trade that happened that I’ve been a part of, but this is the business we work in,” Antetokounmpo told ESPN’s Cassidy Hubbarth on Wednesday.