Bucks dealing Thon Maker to Pistons for Stanley Johnson
The Thon Maker experiment in Milwaukee has come to an end.
Less than two weeks after reportedly requesting a trade, a person familiar with the situation says the NBA-leading Milwaukee Bucks have agreed to trade center Maker to the Detroit Pistons for forward Stanley Johnson.
The person spoke to The Associated Press Wednesday on condition of anonymity because the deal had not been publicly announced. Johnson and Maker are both recent lottery picks who have struggled to make a consistent impact. Now, they'll both have a change of scenery.
Maker, the 10th overall pick in the 2016 draft, showed flashes in his two-plus years with the Bucks, but could never gain a foothold in the regular rotation. He was averaging 4.5 points and 2.7 rebounds for Milwaukee this season, but hadn't been used in the last six Bucks games, even when head coach Mike Budenholzer emptied the bench in blowouts.
Often a source of energy on the court when he did play, Maker's standout performance this year was when he had 15 points and five rebounds in a home win against Utah on Jan. 7. In last year's first-round playoff loss to Boston, Maker had 14 points, five rebounds and five blocks in a Game 3 win and eight points and five blocks in a Game 4 victory.
But those instances were too infrequent and now Maker has a chance for more playing time with a rebuilding Pistons team.
Johnson was the No. 8 overall pick in the 2015 draft by Detroit. The 6-foot-7 small forward out of Arizona was averaging 7.5 points and 3.6 rebounds this season and in four years with the Pistons averaged 7.1 points and 3.5 rebounds. However, Johnson's 38.1 field-goal percentage this season is a career high. He's made just 37.2 percent of his shots in his career and only 29.2 percent from 3.
Johnson, who played just one year in college before turning pro, is in the final year of a four-year contract.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
