BUCKS BRING IN BEASLEY, ENNIS HEADS TO HOUSTON
The Milwaukee Bucks acquired combo forward Michael Beasley from the Houston Rockets for point guard Tyler Ennis.
What does it give the Milwaukee Bucks
Acquiring Beasley here is a risky--but probably needed--move. The recent major hamstring injury suffered by projected starting forward Khris Middleton is expected to keep Middleton out most of the coming campaign, and his absence leaves a major scoring void in the Bucks rotation. Beasley can capably fill that void, and like Middleton he plays both forward positions. That said, the risk comes with Beasley's history of off-court trouble and on-court consistency issues. If Beasley can stay focused he can be a highly affordable steal here. If not, his presence might spell trouble for a young team on the rise.
What does it give the Houston Rockets
Ennis is a solid depth addition for a Rockets team searching for a new identity. Franchise center Dwight Howard left over the summer for free agency, and on paper it looks like remaining superstar James Harden may play a lot of point guard. Ennis can be a solid depth option at the point position (and may be needed regularly if Harden plays more shooting guard or small forward), and he might be a steal for the Rockets; he has some untapped starter talent, and is more offensively talented than rotation regular Patrick Beverley.
What does it give the
The 76ers can use Anthony's big body and veteran professionalism on their young roster, but this deal is more about Philly using its ample cap space to help the Rockets and Pistons save some money; they essentially get the second-round draft pick in return. Anthony has another year after this one on his affordable deal, but we'll see if the Sixers keep him around that long.
Fantasy impact
Beasley's fantasy fortunes remain the same with the Bucks as they were with the Rockets: solid (for sleeper potential), but he's probably still not draft-worthy in most fantasy leagues. With Middleton out this season Milwaukee will probably look to emerging combo forward Jabari Parker to score more, and the solid Mirza Teletovic is also in the mix for Middleton's minutes (as might be underrated big man John Henson). The deal and injury also probably help rookie Thon Maker, but likely not much. The Bucks are still stacked depth-wise at the guard spots even with Ennis gone. On the Houston side of the swap, Ennis likely gets a minor upgrade in sleeper status (since he has fewer established guards ahead of him than he did with Milwaukee), but like Beasley he's probably still not draftable for most 2016-17 fantasy formats.
