JULY 16, 7:25pm: The signing is official, per team press release.
JUNE 30, 11:04pm: Veteran forward Ersan Ilyasova has reached agreement on a three-year, $21MM contract with the Bucks, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The third year is non-guaranteed, league sources tell ESPN’s Zach Lowe (Twitter link).
The move represents a homecoming for the 31-year-old, who began his career in Milwaukee in 2006. Apart from two seasons in Spain, Ilyasova remained with the Bucks until they traded him to Detroit in 2015.
He started the 2017/18 season in Atlanta before agreeing to a buyout in late February and signing with the Sixers to provide shooting help in the playoffs. He averaged 9.3 points and 7.6 rebounds in 10 postseason games for Philadelphia.
Milwaukee will probably use its mid-level exception to add Ilyasova, unless it can arrange a sign-and-trade with Philadelphia or swing some other deals to clear cap room. Assuming Ilyasova’s first-year salary exceeds the taxpayer’s mid-level exception ($5.337MM) and he’s acquired via the MLE or a sign-and-trade, the Bucks would be hard-capped for the 2018/19 league year.
That hard cap could be a factor if another team makes an aggressive offer for restricted free agent Jabari Parker, as cap expert Albert Nahmad notes (via Twitter).
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Really? Wow good for him. Bucks basically saying goodbye to Jabari?
It really looks that way…hopefully the bucks can work a sign and trade for Parker to add a PG now
Bledsoe?
From everything I’ve read the Bucks actually tried to trade Bledsoe and Delly on draft night. I’m hoping they move Bledsoe for a center and Parker for a guard. Adding the respectable 3 point shooting of Ersan certainly helps though. He will replace Teletovic
This front office can’t really afford to make too many more mistakes. Giannis’ window of MVP level performance is beginning to open, he needs running mates.
Bucks could use another 3-and-D wing first before another PG.
I agree. I would love to see Ariza come to Milwaukee. If the bucks and find a way to get Delly and Bledsoe off the books for cheaper (but still decent) guards they still might have room to add Ariza
Good scorer.
I like Ersan, I really do. But Jabari is an explosive scorer who has been working on and improving his 3. If they need to make a move, I hope it’s Delly and/or Bledsoe. Much rather have a Teague/Conley/Dunn type PG on this team
Illyasova signing for the mid level exception in no way has anything to do with Jabari! Jabari will sign a long term deal with us either to play with the bucks or to a team that wants to pay him more. Letting Jabari just walk for nothing means our gm should be fired
It has a lot to do with Jabari. If jabari signs an offer sheet it might put MKE into the luxury tax. So Ersan’s signing makes it more difficult and unlikely the Bucks will match an offer sheet.
Teams know this so it also makes a S&T less likely.
Ps I love the Ersan signing. He is what we hoped teletovic would be. DiVincenzo, ersan and Middleton will open up the floor for Bledsoe and Giannis. I would still like us to sign one more shooter. You can never have too many
I’d like to see a big added, unless they’re confident Maker can start making actual gains soon.
Can’t see the hard cap being an issue with resigning Jabari. If someone is offering $20M+ per year, Bucks likely wouldn’t have matched anyway.
I wonder if Milwaukee still makes this move had they known they could get Brook Lopez for $3.4 million