The first trade with a big-name player going elsewhere has been finalized with the Golden State Warriors shipping scoring machine Monta Ellis to the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for Andrew Bogut and Stephen Jackson. These weren’t the only three players involved in this deal as Golden State has included center Kwame Brown and forward Ekpe Udoh in the blockbuster.

This is an interesting move by both teams as no one saw this deal coming. There was reported interested by the Warriors in the injured Bogut, but with the injury it was unlikely that a deal would get made; especially for a big-name like Monta Ellis. Despite the injury and the addition of troublesome Jackson, the deal went through on Tuesday night and it could be argued that both teams have improved as a result.

The real benefactor of this blockbuster trade might very well be the Milwaukee Bucks. Over of the past two years, the Bucks have been a player short of making a deep run in the playoffs. With such stiff competition in the Eastern Conference with the emergence of the Miami Heat and the Chicago Bulls, Milwaukee just hasn’t been able to compete.

The addition of Monta Ellis alongside up-and-coming point guard Brandon Jennings could very well make the Bucks’ backcourt one of the most talented in the NBA. The only problem the team and head coach Scott Skiles may face is the fact that Jennings and Ellis are similar players. Both of these players have score-first mentalities which might turn out to be conflicting in Milwaukee.

If Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis can see eye-to-eye in Milwaukee, the Bucks can become a force to be reckoned with in the Eastern Conference once again. There a great chance that the Bucks make the playoffs this season and might be the surprise team in the East from here on out.

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