Hoops Rumors is breaking down the 2017 offseason for all 30 NBA teams, revisiting the summer’s free agent signings, trades, draft picks, departures, and more. We’ll evaluate each team’s moves from the last several months and look ahead to what the 2017/18 season holds for all 30 franchises. Today, we’re focusing on the Milwaukee Bucks.
Signings:
- Tony Snell: Four years, $44MM. Fourth-year player option.
- Jason Terry: One year, minimum salary.
- Jalen Moore: Two-way contract. Two years. $50K guaranteed. (Waived)
- Bronson Koenig: Two-way contract. Two years. (Waived)
Camp invitees:
- Brandon Rush: One year, minimum salary. Summer contract.
- Kendall Marshall: One year, minimum salary. Summer contract.
- Joel Anthony: One year, minimum salary. Summer contract with exhibit nine.
- Gerald Green: One year, minimum salary. Summer contract with exhibit nine.
- JeQuan Lewis: One year, minimum salary. Summer contract with exhibits nine and 10. (Waived)
- James Young: One year, minimum salary. Summer contract. (Waived)
- Xavier Munford: Exact details not yet known.
Trades:
- Acquired cash ($2MM) from the Clippers in exchange for the draft rights to Sindarius Thornwell (No. 48 pick).
- Acquired the draft rights to Sterling Brown (No. 46 pick) from the Sixers in exchange for cash ($1.9MM).
Draft picks:
- 1-17: D.J. Wilson — Signed to rookie contract.
- 2-46: Sterling Brown — Signed to three-year, minimum salary contract. Third year non-guaranteed.
Departing players:
- Michael Beasley
- Spencer Hawes (waived)
Other offseason news:
- Lost general manager John Hammond to Magic.
- Promoted Jon Horst to replace Hammond as GM.
- Hired Milt Newton as assistant general manager.
- Introduced new G League expansion team, the Wisconsin Herd.
Salary cap situation:
- Operating over the cap, but under the tax. Carrying approximately $116.8MM in guaranteed salaries. Most of mid-level exception ($7.59MM) and bi-annual exception ($3.29MM) available.
Check out the Milwaukee Bucks’ full roster and depth chart at RosterResource.com.
Story of the summer:
The Bucks’ offseason began with the loss of longtime general manager John Hammond, who elected to take a job in Orlando’s front office. Although the Bucks indicated at the time that they’d conduct a search for a replacement, the choice seemed clear. Assistant GM Justin Zanik had been brought to Milwaukee and groomed to be Hammond’s successor, and he was named the team’s interim GM while the team explored its options. His eventual promotion seemed inevitable.
Within a matter of weeks, the Bucks reportedly narrowed their options to Zanik and Nuggets executive Arturas Karnisovas, and when the Nuggets gave Karnisovas a promotion to keep him in Denver, Milwaukee’s choice once again seemed obvious. However, rather than promoting Zanik, the Bucks – whose co-owners were at odds over the decision – passed over the assistant GM to name director of basketball operations Jon Horst their new general manager.
It was a surprising decision, one that cost the team Zanik. The former Jazz executive – who had reportedly received support for the GM position from two of three Bucks co-owners and head coach Jason Kidd – decided to return to Utah after being passed over in Milwaukee.
While we don’t know all the details of the Bucks’ unusual GM search, we’ve heard enough to make me seriously question the club’s process. If it had happened in a major market (imagine the Knicks conducting a similar search after Phil Jackson‘s ouster), it would’ve been viewed as a sign of dysfunction, but it has flown mostly under the radar in Milwaukee.
It remains to be seen whether the front office shuffle represents a blip on the radar for the Bucks as they work their way up the Eastern Conference standings, or if it’s an omen of future problems. But the good news for the team is that there’s far less turnover on the roster than in the front office. Thirteen of the 15 players who finished last season with the Bucks – including nine of the club’s top 10 scorers – remain on the roster. That level of continuity is a great sign for a team that appeared to be coming into its own at the end of the 2016/17 campaign.
Key offseason losses:
The list of notable offseason losses for the Bucks is short, with only Michael Beasley and Spencer Hawes departing this offseason. Beasley gave the club some offense off the bench and Hawes provided some depth in the frontcourt, but neither player was essential to the Bucks’ success. Their production can likely be replicated by an in-house replacement or a minimum-salary signee.
The Bucks’ most notable loss for the first half of the season may be Jabari Parker, who continues to recover from an ACL injury and isn’t expected back on the court until sometime in the new year. Still, as much as Milwaukee would love to see what the club’s roster looks like when it’s finally fully healthy, the Bucks’ impressive second-half run last season took place after Parker went down, so they should be able to get by without him to open the 2017/18 campaign.
Key offseason additions:
With 13 players returning, there wasn’t much room for the Bucks to make additions, but the team did add another intriguing prospect in the draft, using the 17th overall pick on former Michigan power forward D.J. Wilson. Wilson, who has a 7’3″ wingspan, may not be ready to contribute right away, but he’ll fit right in among a young group of athletic, rangy Bucks such as Giannis Antetokounmpo, Parker, Khris Middleton, and Thon Maker.
Second-rounder Sterling Brown also enters the picture in Milwaukee, though I wouldn’t be surprised if he spends a good portion of the season with the Wisconsin Herd, the Bucks’ new G League affiliate.
No other incoming players are guaranteed roster spots, but I’d expect one of the Bucks’ camp invitees to earn a spot on the roster, with Brandon Rush and Gerald Green probably holding an edge over Kendall Marshall, Joel Anthony, and Xavier Munford. Of the two former first-round picks, Rush has the better three-point shot, but Green’s offensive game more closely resembles Beasley’s, so he may be the choice if the Bucks are looking for that sort of player rather than a pure shooter.
Outlook for 2017/18:
The Bucks’ front office overhaul didn’t exactly go smoothly this summer, and the club didn’t add any impact players, but this is still a team on the rise. Antetokounmpo is rapidly becoming the sort of superstar who will be in the MVP conversation every year, and his supporting cast – including Parker, Middleton, Maker, Tony Snell, and Malcolm Brogdon – is coming into its own too.
Milwaukee remains a tier or two below the NBA’s legit title contenders, but there are few teams that have as much potential for internal growth as Milwaukee. While Antetokounmpo is already a star, guys like Parker, Middleton, and even Maker have flashed tantalizing upside, and if they’re able to take their respective games to a new level in 2017/18, this will be a team no one wants to face in the postseason.
Salary information from Basketball Insiders used in the creation of this post. Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
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