The Bucks and Carlos Boozer met again recently, following up on the visit Boozer reportedly had with GM John Hammond and coach Jason Kidd in mid-December, sources told Sam Amico of Amico Hoops. Milwaukee has apparently backed off its interest in trading for Caron Butler, but it seems as though the team remains in the market for a veteran. Boozer has languished in free agency since the summer, despite reports that a litany of NBA teams were eyeing him over the offseason.
Kidd, who’s calling the shots on player personnel for the Bucks, as Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times told us, took a leave of absence to undergo hip surgery shortly after the first meeting with Boozer. It’s unclear how much input he has on the team’s decision-making while he’s away, though interim coach Joe Prunty said recently that he and his staff were in close contact with Kidd. The Bucks have continued to falter since Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports reported the original meeting with Boozer on December 17th, going 4-5 since that date. Milwaukee is 14-22 and five and a half games out of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
The Bucks are without much roster flexibility, since they have 15 fully guaranteed contracts, though they have a $1.664MM sliver of the mid-level exception left over if Boozer, a 13-year veteran, demands more than the minimum salary, which for him would be $1,499,187. The Clippers, Knicks, Rockets, Mavericks, Spurs, Raptors, Pelicans, Nuggets, Nets, Lakers and Heat all reportedly had interest in the offseason.
Considering where the Bucks are in the standings, I’ll be surprised if they cut a younger player loose to sign a stopgap like Boozer.