Milwaukee won the Jared Dudley salary-clearing trade. The Bucks received a useful rotation wing plus a protected first-round pick, while the Clippers got almost no on-court return from Carlos Delfino or Miroslav Raduljica and only a low-value second-round asset.
Milwaukee acquired Jared Dudley and a protected 2017 first-round pick while sending Carlos Delfino, Miroslav Raduljica and a protected 2015 second-round pick to Los Angeles. Dudley immediately became useful on a Bucks team that jumped into the playoffs, appearing in 72 games and supplying veteran wing minutes, shooting and defense. The first-rounder gave Milwaukee another valuable asset beyond Dudley's season.
Los Angeles made the move partly to clear Dudley after a disappointing, injury-affected season and to create financial flexibility. The basketball return was extremely thin. Delfino never played for the Clippers while recovering from foot injuries, Raduljica was waived before the regular season and the protected second-round pick did not approach the value of the first-rounder Los Angeles surrendered. Cap relief was useful, but the price was high.
Milwaukee later traded the incoming first-round asset to Toronto in the Greivis Vasquez deal. That proves the pick retained real market value, but it does not mean the Bucks should receive credit for OG Anunoby, whom Toronto eventually selected with the pick. The Bucks deserve credit for owning and monetizing a first-round asset. Even with that conservative treatment, Dudley plus the pick comfortably exceeded the Clippers' return. The draft timing is the clearest way to avoid overstating Milwaukee's win. The Bucks acquired a protected first-round right that ultimately became the 2017 No. 23 selection, but they moved that right to Toronto before the draft as part of their Greivis Vasquez transaction. OG Anunoby subsequently became the named draft outcome under Toronto's control. Milwaukee should be credited for receiving and then using a tradeable first-round asset, not for Anunoby's NBA development in another city. Los Angeles instead got a protected second-round asset, along with a salary-management benefit and very little player production. Those are unequal returns without inventing a Bucks Anunoby stint.
Bucks Win — Milwaukee A-, Los Angeles D-. The Bucks received immediate rotation value from Dudley and preserved additional value in a first-round pick they later moved. The Clippers gained flexibility but almost no on-court production from Delfino or Raduljica and surrendered the best draft asset in the deal. Milwaukee won decisively without needing to inflate the downstream asset chain.