When the Milwaukee Bucks traded Thon Maker for Stanley Johnson, most Bucks fans were fine with that for the deadline. They saw it as a ‘change of scenery’ move, and Johnson will probably not get a ton of time on the court yet still he was a top 10 pick. Jon Horst says ‘Not so fast, my friend.’ He found a way to trade Johnson, Jason Smith and a few second round picks for Nikola Mirotic from New Orleans. Horst acquired the best possible option for the Bucks at the NBA Trade Deadline. Milwaukee adds a pure shooter off their bench, and someone who can play in crunch time minutes plus a deadly small ball lineup. Excellent move by Jon Horst and puts the Bucks above other teams in the Eastern Conference gauntlet.

The Bucks shooting heat map vs. Mirotic's heat map: a seamless fit. pic.twitter.com/XNgHjZdzBT

— Seerat Sohi (@seeratsohi) February 7, 2019

This is a great look at why Mirotic is such a value add for the Bucks. Look at his heat map and compare it to the Bucks team, it looks almost the same. He seems like the perfect fit for Milwaukee. He isn’t shooting that great this season, but the man is a corner three assassin. That’s catnip for Mike Budenholzer and his offense. Instead of Tony Snell hanging out in the corner with Giannis Antetokounmpo looking to dish to him, it’s Mirotic. That’s an upgrade of epic proportions. Another part of this is Mirotic rebounds better than I think people talk about him. They see him as just a shooter when in reality, he’s averaged six to eight rebounds per game in the last few years.

Bucks made the best deal out of the top three teams in the Eastern Conference where thing seem more competitive than an episode of MTV Challenge. Staying with that comparison, Bucks feel like Johnny Bananas. They’re making forward thinking moves and staying head and shoulders above anyone else. Marc Gasol and Tobias Harris are good adds for Toronto and Philadelphia, yet, they still cause problems. There’s no guarantee Gasol stays healthy, and it might throw their rotations into a funk. Harris goes from being the number one option to the number four option. That sounds fun for any team. There’s a legitimate ‘not enough ball’ for the five players on Philadelphia. Part of me believes deep down that Raptors and Sixers would rather have Mirotic than the players they have today especially for the type of deal that Milwaukee received on Thursday afternoon.

I hate to sound like a broken record, but Jon Horst deserves all your respect. Horst is a great general manager, and people somehow do not give him credit for the job he’s done. Not only did he make the Bucks better in the last couple years, but he also cleared 25 million dollars freeing the Bucks of the bad contracts of John Henson and Matthew Dellavedova. Horst is a silent assassin and keeps making kills all over the NBA.

Charlie.