FEBRUARY 22: The Bucks have officially signed Leonard to a 10-day contract, the team announced today in a press release. The deal will run through March 3, covering Milwaukee’s next four games.
FEBRUARY 20: Veteran big man Meyers Leonard is signing a 10-day contract with the Bucks, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.
Leonard hasn’t played in the NBA since March 2021. The Bucks had two roster spots open and needed to fill at least one of them to abide by NBA rules.
Leonard said in a recent TV interview that he suffered nerve damage when he underwent ankle surgery in April 2021 and spent much of the last two seasons rehabbing shoulder and ankle injuries. He was also embroiled in controversy two years ago for uttering an antisemitic slur on a video game stream.
Milwaukee might get some use out of Leonard. Bobby Portis has been sidelined by a knee injury, though he’s expected to return soon. Giannis Antetokounmpo took himself out of the All-Star Game during the first minute due to a wrist injury and Jae Crowder has yet to make his team debut.
The Bucks have been monitoring Leonard’s progress for over a year, and conducted a workout with him last month, according to Wojnarowski. They were looking for a big with shooting ability and a playoff history, Woj adds.
Leonard worked out for the Lakers last month but wasn’t signed. His last stint in the league was with the Thunder, who waived him two seasons ago after they acquired him from the Heat.
He was the 11th pick of the 2012 draft by Portland. He played seven seasons with the Trail Blazers, then appeared in 51 regular season games for the Heat in 2019/20. He only saw action in three games in 2020/21.
Hold on I have a actual question…Why are guys like Melo, LMA, Dwight, Tristan Thompson, Jared Butler, John Wall, and all these other good/decent guys from the last 1-3 years all still free agents while guys like Cody Zeller signing on teams?
LMA isn’t good anymore at all. And he hasn’t worked out for many teams until recently and he had a heart condition. Dwight could of played in nba but he went to China to be a star. Melo this one confuses me, I thought he took a step
Forward last year in accepting a role player. Tristan Thompson idk he’s got kardashian troubles, his mom passed, I feel like he’s taking this year off. Thompson is the one that confuses me the most of all these.
LMA got that weak turn around fade away melo can shoot but can’t even try to play defense so teams will attack him and Dwight want the ball in his hands instead of going after the rebound and scoring down low …and nba is positionless now so if you not a embid or jokic then they play forwards at center if you not even mobley type or AD or bam then they rather have somebody like Dwight off the bench not starting
Another point it’s also a 10 day deal
The guys you pointed out probably are above 10 day deals.
These teams don’t want old one dimensional players that think they should be starting or play a lot of minutes …if they can play defense and shoot or score then they rather have somebody out the g league or draft to groom into a 3-D role player
I have an answer.
Derp.
LMA and TT are kind cooked. Wall is too injury prone and I think currently injured. Jared Butler is in the G League. Dwight idk, I think his antics rubbed some coaches the wrong way, not serious enough too many Technicals for a backup C.
Melo not being in the league is a travesty, unless he doesn’t really want to play. I haven’t seen anything from him all yr.
There’s plenty of dudes in street clothes that could ball better than the 14th or 15th guy on 90% of rosters. Next CBA, they need to allow vets to take a lower min. That’s a main driver, cheaper labor.
Leonard and Zeller are 30 years old.
Aldridge and Melo are too old to defend NBA players in a playoff setting.
Dwight is a locker room headache.
Tristan Thompson is literally under contract as an ESPN analyst.
John Wall isn’t a center.
Jared Butler has a 14.4 PER in the G-League.
Melo, LMA, TT, Kemba, Snell, Harkless, Dwight, Whiteside and Favors all have an argument
The last time he played was before he was caught shouting an anti-Semitic slur while playing Call of Duty on Twitch. He did apologize deeply and I hope he learned his lesson but I’m sure the scrutiny will return when he joins the team. It is interesting that the governing owners of both the Mavericks who traded for Kyrie and the Bucks who just signed Leonard are both Jewish. I gather they are both convinced that the players have learned their lessons.
Or that everyone makes Mistakes
How is that a mistake? Oh he tripped, fell and a slur just fell out his mouth?
What you described is an accident. People make mistakes everyday.
A mistake is an accident. And people don’t say slurs everyday.
It was a purposeful conscious choice, plain and simple.
Hold on there toughhuy, it’s not like he urinated in public or anything like that.
You must live under a rock
One that he has shown remorse and learned from.
Maybe you think he deserves the death penalty, and that he should never hold another job for the rest of his life, but some of us out here are reasonable people.
A mistake is not an accident. A mistake can be an error in judgement. That isn’t accidental.
A mistake is calling a guy named Joe “Jim.”
You’re trivializing antisemitism.
I mean it’s very possible he didn’t know what the “k” word actually meant/stood for in which case it would be a mistake. One that should be punished but also forgiven.
That’s exactly what he claimed in his apology… though saying words you know are insults but not knowing what they mean or who they are insulting to is kind of stupider.
Marc Lasry isn’t Jewish.
From the Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle: “ But what the general community may not know is that Lasry has a distinctive Jewish story also. He is from the Jewish community of Morocco, having been born in Marrakech.
His family came to the U.S. when he was 7 years old; but Morocco has not entirely left him. As he said in a brief interview with The Chronicle before the forum, he continues to practice some of the distinctive customs of the Moroccan Jewish community.
For example, this writer has read that Moroccan Jews at one point during the Passover seder lift the seder plate over the heads of the celebrants.
Lasry confirmed this and added, “And then you take the flowers that are around the table and put them around somebody’s head. It’s a sign of good luck and a long life.” And he said he still does this at his seders.
He also is a Jewish community activist. He has been to Israel many times both for business reasons and because he is “involved in a number of charities” there, though he would not say which because “we’re doing it kind of anonymously.”
I stand corrected
Meyers Leonard isn’t good enough as an NBA player to beat the media fluff piece about his apparent Jewish hatred. That is all anyone talks about, not is his shoulder healed, and can he still shoot the 3-ball?
I can personally attest to the fact that Meyers Leonard is NOT a racist. I have known this kid since he was a sophomore at Robinson High School (IL). Good kid who let his emotions get to him during a video game. Meyers Leonard played his travel team basketball with the Mac Irvin Fire. Nike sponsored EYBL team with players primarily from Chicago. Jabari Parker, Jahlil Okafor, Jalen Brunson ……
Yeah, I have met him a few times. He is a pretty good guy
I’ll just respond to OP but it’s @ all the respondents
Words are words.
You give words power.
Actions speak louder than words.
Slurs in jest are just that.
Slurs to promote an ideal are just that
Leonard was not using Slurs to spread hate.
He was using a slur to be funny.
Comedians are using Slurs and politically incorrect terms daily.
They aren’t canceled. They aren’t stopped from doing their jobs.
Some people say things and have said things their entire life they don’t actually believe. They just think it’s funny.
You don’t have to agree that it’s funny. And you’re allowed to dislike him.
Where I draw the line is people wanting to take food put of his mouth, as if you I or him are perfect and will forever be perfect and never fail or take a mistep.
Don’t throw stones at glass houses
Stop giving hate a voice
Feeding the hate is worse than twisting a comedic statement into one of hatred.
I’m not religious. But bless us all. This world is falling apart. We have no clue where our priorities lie
Happy to see him get another chance
This is a list of almost every notable free agent that could/should get looked at by teams. Most of qhich are quality basketball players that can bring a lot to your team. Most of them haven’t even Made a teams roster yet this season.
John Wall
Kris Dunn
Isaiah Thomas
Shabazz Napier
• D.J. Augustin (35)
• Patrick Beverley (34)
• Trey Burke (30)
• Jared Butler (22)
• Devin Cannady (26)
• Michael Carter-Williams (31)
• Chris Chiozza (27)
• Sharife Cooper (21)
• Kris Dunn (28)
• Brandon Goodwin (27)
• Frank Jackson (24)
• Brandon Knight (31)
• Elfrid Payton
• Isaiah Thomas (33)
• Kemba Walker (32)
• John Wall (32)
• Duane Washington Jr. (22)
Shabazz Muhammad
• Avery Bradley (32)
• Charlie Brown Jr. (25)
• Sterling Brown (27)
• Deonte Burton (28)
• Jarrett Culver (23)
• PJ Dozier (26)
• Wayne Ellington (35)
• Bryn Forbes (29)
• Melvin Frazier (26)
• Langston Galloway (31)
• Mason Jones (24)
• Jeremy Lamb (30)
• Sam Merrill (26)
• Xavier Moon (27)
• E’Twaun Moore (33)
• David Nwaba (29)
• Joshua Primo? (20)
• Jahmi’us Ramsey (21)
• Nik Stauskas (29)
• Denzel Valentine (29)
• Quinndary Weatherspoon (26)
• Lou Williams (36)
• Gabe York (29)
• Justin Anderson (29)
• Kent Bazemore (33)
• DeAndre’ Bembry (28)
• Greg Brown (21)
• Justin Champagnie (21)
• CJ Elleby (22)
• Maurice Harkless (29)
• Solomon Hill (31)
• Rodney Hood (30)
• Elijah Hughes (24)
• Wes Iwundu (28)
• Josh Jackson (25)
• Justin Jackson (27)
• Stanley Johnson (26)
• Jake Layman (28)
• Didi Louzada (23)
• Kelan Martin (27)
• Alfonzo McKinnie (30)
• Eric Paschall (26)
• Tony Snell (31)
• Lance Stephenson (32)
• Carmelo Anthony (38)
• Trevor Ariza (37)
• Marquese Chriss (25)
• Gary Clark (28)
• Tyler Cook (25)
• Alize Johnson (26)
• Paul Millsap (37)
• Juwan Morgan (25)
• Jabari Parker (27)
• Reggie Perry (22)
• Luka Samanic (22)
• Chris Silva (26)
• Noah Vonleh (27)
• D.J. Wilson (26)
• LaMarcus Aldridge (37)
• Moses Brown (23)
• Willie Cauley-Stein (29)
• DeMarcus Cousins (32)
• Ed Davis (33)
• Derrick Favors (31)
• Enes Freedom? (30)
• Serge Ibaka (33)
• Tristan Thompson (31)
• Hassan Whiteside (33)
If you have any more, reply their names.
If all of these guys were on an NBA team, then you would have another list of guys who are free agents who could be on an NBA Team. This happens every year.
Some of those guys are in Europe. Some are in the G league, some are rich AF and chilling out.
That’s why we should get more teams if enough of these guys want to play in the nba again.
More teams???? The talent level in the NBA is diluted AF right now.
Parity =/= Dillution.
I think it might be possible that a few of the guys you named aren’t actually as good..or have to offer what [insert team here] might need/want..as you believe.
Also, I’m not sure of the details, but doesn’t Enes (Kanter) Freedom have some kind of beef with the league, or it with him..?
Oh, and last I heard Ibaka needed time away from basketball (the Bucks) to figure some things out or whatever.
Kanter sucks, that’s the main reason he’s not in the league. Obviously there are other problems too, not including his support of the Uighyrs and disdain for the Erdogan regime. But other problems nonetheless.
That’s why I put a question mark next to his name, as well as next to Primos name
Nobody want these people their is a g league and people on the second round that are young and better and ready to be two way players
Most of them are playing in G League (someone needs to fill those spots) Some are simply too old and theres only so many spots in the League. Napier is playing in Europe for Milano. I dont know why you added Shabazz Muhammad in there, dudes been washed for years. Did you just think of another Shabazz lol?
To contribute to the list I can add the remaining free agents who recently were on rosters who you havent mentioned.
Abdel Nader
Al-Farouq Aminu
Brad Wanamaker
Brodric Thomas
Izaiah Brockington
Justin Lewis
Killian Tillie
Leandro Bolmaro
Miles Bridges
Paul Watson Jr.
Scottie Lewis
Terry Taylor
About 6 months ago I believe I heard that Muhammad was working out for a team or two and was pursuing an NBA comeback
Miles Bridges isn’t an unrestricted free agent.
They should upgrade the roster size to 20 players per team max.
I’d split it so it’s like, 3 two way deals (players than can be dropped down to the G League) and 2 10 day contracts. Then introduce a new super vet contract (2 per team) for guys with 10+ years experience. Teams needs vets and locker room guys.
Teams then are made up of 13 main players, 2 specific vets, 3 two way guys and 2 10 day deals.
In order to accompany the new roster changes they then need to change the way players are paid. Need to set aside 20mil that will not count against the cap and not taxed like crazy, specifically set aside for the vets, 2 way deals and 10 day contracts. 20 mil on 7 guys.
The salary cap is currently $134 mil. I’d drop that slightly to $130 with the additional $20 which isn’t against the cap making $150 total.
Then bring harsher penalties for teams going above the cap.
Then in the future we see more 2 superstar teams and makes it very hard for 3 star teams. But we also see more vets and better locker rooms and development of the young guys with more opportunities for guys to come into the league too. The league then spreads the talent better, more guys get paid be it vets or fringe guys in the g league or Europe. Star players keep getting paid very well. Owners can afford to keep good teams together and keep depth but are punished for trying to stack the deck.
Would be great for the league, players and owners
Yea either that or we need more teams. This might be the best nba idea I’ve ever heard have. Congrats for thinking of this…it would really help the league, the players and is just overall a great idea.
KENNETH FARIED
Me thinks you don’t know what a quality NBA player is. Congrats on being able to scroll an NBA 2K Free Agent pool.
I will break this down when I get home. With expansion half these guys are in
And this summer 50 players will get draft contracts. There I think 7 open spots so we shall see who gets them.
Pat Riley just printed out your list. He may be faxing you a thank you note.
Wonder if Gino’s wrist will hurt too bad to play some cod with leonard…now that they are best friends.
He wasn’t anything special before he black balled himself out of the league…
Bucks could of used that 10 dayer on a difference maker…
It’s highly unlikely the Bucks are going to sign a “difference maker” to a 10 day contract.
Kanter sighting… Anyone?
Bro always had talent, just zero confidence and no consistency at all
Leonard’s two-year suspension is over…