The Bucks Exchanged Their Drafted Forward for a Veteran Center
Milwaukee traded the rights to No. 16 overall pick Terry Mills to Denver for veteran center Danny Schayes, announced August 1, 1990. The Bucks had drafted Mills out of Michigan but were focused on reinforcing a frontcourt headed by Jack Sikma. Contemporary Deseret News coverage quotes coach Del Harris identifying another center as the club’s most pressing roster need. Schayes had averaged 10.4 points and 6.5 rebounds for Denver during 1989-90, with extensive NBA experience. Denver wanted a younger power forward it could develop while rebuilding, making the former Michigan scorer appealing in place of a higher-salaried veteran. The agreement involved one player’s draft rights versus an established center, without an additional first-round selection or cash.
Schayes Started Thirty-Eight Games for Milwaukee Right Away
Schayes appeared in all 82 Bucks regular-season games in 1990-91 and started 38. He averaged 8.6 points and 5.8 rebounds in 27.2 minutes, providing a full year of dependable frontcourt minutes. Milwaukee went 48-34 and qualified for the playoffs, giving the veteran an immediate role behind its established scorers. His contribution was not spectacular, but it solved the precise depth concern Harris had identified at the time of the exchange. Schayes returned for another season, although his playing time fell in 1991-92. The Bucks’ B+ inherited grade can be defended by a successful first-year rotation acquisition without suggesting the center was a twenty-point scorer or permanent replacement for Sikma. Unlike a speculative draft right, Schayes could contribute on the opening schedule.
Mills Signed in Greece Before Denver Could Use Him
A separate UPI report dated August 20, 1990, described Mills signing with a Greek professional club rather than immediately joining Denver. General manager Bernie Bickerstaff acknowledged the risk but declined to match the overseas contract. That sharply complicated Denver’s original attempt to obtain a ready rookie forward. Mills later reached the NBA and played for other teams, but the important short-term point is that the Nuggets did not enjoy the same immediate 1990-91 rotation benefit Milwaukee got from Schayes. Denver’s B inherited grade reflects the value of holding a first-round prospect’s rights and the possibility of eventual development. The canonical Nuggets Win label nevertheless contrasts with Milwaukee’s numerically higher B+ grade and real Schayes minutes, warranting later review rather than silently adjusting the historical verdict.
Final Verdict
Nuggets Win in the inherited label, but Denver grades B and Milwaukee B+, creating a grading contradiction. The Nuggets acquired Terry Mills’s rights, only for him to sign in Greece before the season. Milwaukee gained Danny Schayes, who played 82 games with 38 starts at 8.6 points and 5.8 rebounds. The immediate return favored the Bucks.