MILWAUKEE — A day before the NBA's trade deadline, the Milwaukee Bucks have made a move, sending Thon Maker to the Detroit Pistons for forward Stanley Johnson.
Pistons are finalizing a trade to send Stanley Johnson to Milwaukee for Thon Maker, league source tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 6, 2019
According to Adrian Wojnarowski, Maker requested a trade in late January "to a team that would offer a larger role for a 7-footer."
Due to the emergence of Brook Lopez and the NBA's transition to a "position-less" type of basketball, Maker's role has diminished significantly this season.
Perhaps Detroit has a plan to fit Maker into its system, but with Andre Drummond and Blake Griffin ahead of him in the depth chart, it will be interesting to see how that develops.
Maker was the Bucks' first-round pick in 2016, going 10th overall.
In return, the Bucks will receive 22-year-old forward Johnson. Johnson was the Pistons' first-round pick in 2015, going eighth overall.
This season, Johnson is averaging 7.5 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game.
