2015 GBB Community Mock Draft: Milwaukee Bucks trade back to pick at #27

Pick #27
Milwaukee Bucks
GM: Jill Kong

The trade that brought us here:

Milwaukee trades: Pick #17

for

LA Lakers: Pick #27, Pick #34

Pre-draft analysis from GM Jill Kong:

Even though there might be a better trade for me to make, I'm happy with where I am in this draft. The point of doing my trade was to clear cap space, something not so hard to figure out given the situation of this Bucks team. After a season that gave many Milwaukee fans some hope that had been diminished in the last decade, this young Bucks team still needs an anchor in the middle to complete a promising future core, with Jabari Parker and Giannis Antetokounmpo already showing abundant potential as a powerful forward duo. Michael Carter­-Williams is a decent choice as starting point guard and the team has several young players on the bench waiting for their calling, but right now the team lacks a formidable paint defender or at least someone who can hold their own inside.

As soon as I realized that I also decided the best way to find my answer was through free agency, given the cap space that I have and the amount of elite center in this year's market, namely Brook Lopez and Tyson Chandler. However, I would only have roughly $22 millions under the cap line to operate even with all my non-guaranteed contracts waived and I needed to keep a useful rotation player Khris Middleton on the roster at the same time. I had to create as much cap space as possible and I did not plan on using some of the salary under cap to sign a mid­first round prospect.

With all that said, I'm very clear on my goal with my two new picks and that's draft and stash options. Even without my agenda to clear cap space, I already have a deep roster consists of young talents and useful rotation players. I simply don't need another young talent on my team trying to fight for that limited playing time, but I wouldn't turn down the opportunity to acquire the draft rights of two quality Euro­stash, whether as future pieces or as nice trade chips.

With the 27th pick in the draft, the Bucks and GM Jill Kong select:

27) Cedi Osman, SF from the Turkish League

From GM Jill Kong:

Even with the international players withdrawal wave weeks ago, I don't need to worry about finding a good draft­and­stash option. Besides Osman, Arturas Gudaitis, Guillermo Hernangomez and Mouhammadou Jaiteh are all European prospects worth considering. But as far as maximizing the value of a draft­and­stash option, I need someone with the potential to be
an elite oversea player and the environment to shine on the highest world stage; on the other hand, team need doesn't seem like a major concern to me since it usually takes longer to cash in on a draft­and­stash pick.

Entering Cedi Osman, a promising 20­year­old wing player from Turkey. He is certainly not the best kind of international prospect one can hopeful, since he is still quite raw at this stage of his career and he isn't projected as a future star player. Osman, however, seems like a solid athlete with proper size and potential as a good role player at small forward position. He measures at 6'8" and plays with a sense of team basketball. He knows how to find open space on the floor
and he appears to be a good cutter in open court and in half­court offense. He knows how to read he play and he is a willing and decent passer. On top of that, he brings energy on the defensive end night in and night out. Playing for one of the best leagues in Europe and constantly playing in Euroleague, he has a nice environment to develop into a good European role player.

Furthermore, Turkey has been a powerful force in European basketball landscape and Cedi Osman has been considered as one of the best prospects in the country. If he does sign a long term contract in his home country and starts to shine in FIBA stage, having his draft rights would be a nice chip to have in trade talks.

At the moment, Cedi Osman still needs to work on his shooting ability and ball-handling skill. His career shooting number has always been limited and this season he is shooting 33% from downtown. The good thing is that he's been shooting more long balls this year than previous years, but he still needs to work on his shooting consistency. As for ball­handling skill, I don't think it's a necessity for him to develop into a formidable on­ball threat as he always shines in off­ball movements, but if he can improve his handle it would be another weapon added to his arsenal. After all, this is a 20­year­old prospect playing in a good environment, I'm happy with having him as my first draft­and­stash option and going after another foreign player with my newly acquired 34th pick.

On the clock we now have GM HEARNBURN and the Celtics at #28.