Milwaukee Bucks Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Donte DiVincenzo’s Return Delayed As He Enters COVID-19 Protocols

December 14th, 2021 at 10:48pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Bucks shooting guard Donte DiVincenzo, who had been set to make his season debut on Wednesday against the Pacers, will be instead sidelined a while longer, having being placed in the NBA’s health and safety coronavirus protocols, per Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

DiVincenzo has been sidelined since undergoing ankle surgery in June during Milwaukee’s title run, but had been planning to play in his first game of the 2021/22 NBA season for the Bucks tomorrow.

The 6’4″ guard is the third Bucks player to enter the league’s COVID-19 protocols today, along with All-Star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo and reserve wing Wesley Matthews. Despite some early-season adversity caused by several injury absences (including DiVincenzo’s), the Bucks had appeared to right the ship lately, reaching an 18-11 record thus far.

The Bucks added shooting guard Grayson Allen via trade in the offseason to supplement the anticipated early-season absence of DiVincenzo. While Allen received an incentive-laden two-year contract extension worth up to $19.5MM in October, DiVincenzo didn’t reach an agreement on a rookie scale contract extension with the Bucks in time for the regular season deadline and is poised to become a restricted free agent this summer. The longer the team thrives with Allen, the more expendable DiVincenzo could become in the 2022 offseason.

Middleton Suffers Hyperextension Of Left Knee

December 13th, 2021 at 9:50pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Khris Middleton suffered a hyperextended left knee on Monday but Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer is optimistic the injury isn’t significant, Tim Bontemps of ESPN tweets. “We’ll know more (Tuesday), but I think there’s some hope that it’s not serious,” he said. “But you’ve got to weigh it and give it time.”

Hill Won't Play Both Ends Of Back-To-Backs

December 13th, 2021 at 7:15pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Bucks guard George Hill will not play on consecutive days in the near future, Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel tweets. Hill is returning from a hyperextended right knee and sat out the team’s game against Boston on Monday. Hill played the front end of the back-to-back on Sunday, going scoreless in 14 minutes against the Knicks.

Donte DiVincenzo Likely To Return In Reserve Role

December 12th, 2021 at 10:45am CST by Arthur Hill

When Donte DiVincenzo makes his season debut this week, he will return to a Bucks team that has changed since DiVincenzo suffered an ankle injury in the playoffs, notes Brian Sampson of Forbes. The offseason addition of Grayson Allen, who has become a starter in the backcourt and has provided a shooting upgrade, will likely push DiVincenzo into a reserve role, but he remains valuable because of his defense and rebounding.

Bucks’ DiVincenzo To Make Season Debut On Wednesday

December 11th, 2021 at 10:28am CST by Dana Gauruder

Donte DiVincenzo will make his season debut on Wednesday, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports.

DiVincenzo was a fixture in the Bucks’ starting lineup last season while averaging 10.4 PPG, 5.8 RPG and 3.1 APG. He suffered a torn ligament in his left ankle during the third game of Milwaukee’s first-round sweep of Miami and underwent surgery in June.

He’s been rehabbing with the G League’s Wisconsin Herd recently while preparing for his return to action.

The Bucks didn’t sign DiVincenzo to a rookie scale extension before the season, so he’ll be a restricted free agent next summer.

DiVincenzo will provide an immediate boost to the Bucks’ backcourt. Grayson Allen has become Jrue Holiday‘s backcourt partner in DiVincenzo’s absence and is averaging 13.0 PPG. Key reserve George Hill has been sidelined the past week with a knee issue.

The Bucks are finishing up a road swing in New York and Boston before returning home to play Indiana on Wednesday.

Central Notes: Cunningham, DiVincenzo, LeVert, Pacers Trade Options

December 7th, 2021 at 9:17pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The 4-19 Pistons, losers of nine straight games, are currently sole owners of the NBA’s worst record. Happily from a big-picture perspective, intriguing rookie guard Cade Cunningham is showing promising early signs of development, details James L. Edwards III of The Athletic.

Cunningham was shelved for Detroit’s entire preseason and the early portion of the 2021/22 regular season with an ankle injury, but has come on in a big way across the Pistons’ last four games. In that time, Cunningham has averaged 22 PPG while shooting 51% from the floor and 50% from deep, along with 7.7 RPG and 3.2 APG. Overall, the 6’6″ point guard is averaging 14.9 PPG, 6.6 RPG and 4.6 APG across the 18 games he has played this season.

“I feel like my voice is heard in the locker room,” Cunningham said of where he stands on the Pistons roster. “That hasn’t been a problem for me. We have a good group of guys.”

There’s more out of the Central Division:

Injured Bucks starting shooting guard Donte DiVincenzo will continue to rehabilitate with Milwaukee’s G League affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd, per Eric Nehm of The Athletic. DiVincenzo will practice with the Herd ahead of an anticipated return to the floor for the Bucks. The 24-year-old tore an ankle ligament during the first series of the Bucks’ 2020/21 title run. Last year, the Villanova alum averaged 10.4 PPG, 5.8 RPG and 3.1 across 66 regular season games for Milwaukee.
After it was floated earlier today that the Pacers would be open to offloading players following an underwhelming 10-16 season start under the stewardship of new head coach Rick Carlisle, Evan Sidery of Basketball News has cooked up some intriguing potential trade destinations for swingman Caris LeVert. Clubs like the Cavaliers, Grizzlies, Jazz Mavericks and Pelicans are all considered fits by Sidery. Sidery notes that LeVert has become movable thanks in part due to the emergence of rookie wing Chris Duarte.
As the Pacers look to shake up their roster, Clark Wade of The Indianapolis Star wonders which Indiana players the club should trade. The markets for big men Domantas Sabonis and Myles Turner, plus lead guard Malcolm Brogdon, all good players on agreeable contracts, should be robust, though Brogdon won’t be trade-eligible until the offseason.

DiVincenzo Inching Closer To Return

December 6th, 2021 at 1:37pm CST by Rory Maher

Fourth-year guard Donte DiVincenzo is nearing a return for the Bucks, per Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). DiVincenzo has been assigned to the Wisconsin Herd, Milwaukee’s G League affiliate, and Charania says DiVincenzo could make his season debut in December. He’s been recovering from left ankle surgery. DiVincenzo will be a restricted free agent this summer if the Bucks tender him a qualifying offer.

Bucks Sign Wesley Matthews, Waive Georgios Kalaitzakis

December 3rd, 2021 at 6:14pm CST by Rory Maher

6:14pm: The Bucks have officially signed Matthews and requested waivers on Kalaitzakis, the team announced. Matthews’ contract is non-guaranteed, a source tells Eric Nehm of The Athletic (Twitter link).

4:07pm: The Bucks are signing veteran wing Wesley Matthews and waiving rookie forward Georgios Kalaitzakis in order to create a roster spot, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter links).

It’s another win-now move for the defending champions, who signed center DeMarcus Cousins on Tuesday. The Bucks will be on the hook for the guaranteed portion of Kalaitzakis’ salary — he has a partial guarantee of $462,629. However, he’s already earned a good chunk of that amount by this point in the season, which makes it a very understandable move from both a basketball and financial perspective.

Matthews, 35, is entering his 13th season in the NBA. This will be a reunion for both player and team, as he spent the 2019/20 season with the Bucks, starting all 67 games he appeared in with averages of 7.4 PPG and 2.5 RPG on .396/.364/.765 shooting (24.4 MPG). He played for the Lakers last season, appearing in 58 contests (19.5 MPG) while averaging 4.8 PPG and 1.6 RPG on .353/.335/.854 shooting.

Matthews was a top-tier 3-and-D player in the early part of his career prior to tearing his Achilles tendon in 2015. He’s never put up the same type of efficient offensive numbers since suffering the injury, but he’s still regarded as a good defensive player and is a highly respected veteran. In 849 career games (739 starts), he holds career averages of 12.6 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 2.1 APG, and 1.0 SPG on .421/.379/.824 shooting.

Kalaitzakis, the 60th pick in the 2021 draft, was signed to a partially guaranteed, three-year deal ahead of his rookie season. The Greece native appeared in nine games for the Bucks for a total of 48 minutes, putting up modest stats of 1.8 PPG and 0.9 RPG in 5.3 MPG. Evidently Milwaukee did not see enough from the 22-year-0ld to justify keeping him on a standard contract.

It’s very unlikely that he gets signed by a team with an open roster spot, as that list is comprised of either contending teams or teams right against the luxury tax, or both. Perhaps a two-way spot could be possible, but all 60 of those spots are taken right now, so that would require a team to waive a current two-way player. Kalaitzakis’ most realistic path back to the NBA is probably through the G League, but returning to Europe could be a viable possibility, too.

Bucks Notes: Tucker, Lopez, Cousins

December 3rd, 2021 at 12:39pm CST by Arthur Hill

P.J. Tucker didn’t spend much time in Milwaukee, but he became a fan favorite while helping the Bucks capture their first NBA title in 50 years, writes Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Acquired at the trade deadline, Tucker played a vital role on defense during the team’s playoff run. Even though he signed with the Heat during the offseason, Tucker can expect an enthusiastic reception when he returns to the city Saturday night.

“I’ll always love Milwaukee,” he said. “I’ll love the people of Milwaukee forever. They embraced me so much from day one when I first got there to the day I left; they were always there, they always had my back. That’s not something you get right away. You don’t normally get the trust and the love of the city so fast. It was an amazing experience and journey.”

There’s more Bucks news to pass along:

The organization is optimistic that Brook Lopez will be able to return sometime this season after undergoing back surgery Thursday, a source tells Eric Nehm of The Athletic. Coach Mike Budenholzer declined to speculate about a possible timeline, but said Lopez will start rehab soon and remains in the team’s plans for later in the season. “The feedback, the conversations, the follow-up after this morning was very, very positive, including expecting him to be able to play and be productive,” Budenholzer said on Thursday. “I think the surgery today has been done on multiple basketball players, multiple athletes, multiple sports. Return to play is very, very often successful.”
Veteran center DeMarcus Cousins, who was signed to help fill the void left by Lopez, had a strong debut with seven points and four rebounds in 15 minutes in Wednesday’s win over the Hornets, Nehm adds. Because Thursday’s game was a back-to-back, Cousins was held out for “return to competition reconditioning.” “The guy has been dominant for so many years,” Khris Middleton said. “He’s been on a bad path with the injuries so far, but I’m glad to see him back on the court healthy. I’m definitely excited and I know the rest of the guys are excited to have him on the court with us.”
Cousins is grateful to the Bucks for giving him an opportunity after being out of the league since the end of last season. “It’s always a great feeling to be wanted or appreciated, so when my name is called, I’ll be ready to play,” he said in an interview with Zora Stephenson of NBC Sports (Twitter link).

Brook Lopez Undergoes Back Surgery, Out Indefinitely

December 2nd, 2021 at 1:09pm CST by Luke Adams

Bucks center Brook Lopez underwent successful surgery on his back on Thursday in Los Angeles, the team announced in a press release.

The Bucks didn’t provide a timeline for Lopez’s recovery and return to action, simply stating that he’ll continue to be listed as out and updates on his rehab will be provided “as appropriate.” However, back surgeries typically aren’t procedures that players return from quickly, so it seems safe to assume it’ll be a longer-term absence for the big man.

Lopez, 33, played in Milwaukee’s season opener in October, but has been sidelined since then due to his back ailment. He said last month in an interview with Shams Charania that he was ramping up his activities and thought he was getting closer to a return, so it certainly doesn’t appear that surgery was always the plan.

The Bucks have been leaning primarily on Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis to handle the five so far this season. The team also added veteran center DeMarcus Cousins in free agency this week, perhaps with Lopez’s looming surgery in mind.

There’s no indication at this point that Lopez’s back surgery will end his season, but if the injury is ultimately deemed season-ending, the Bucks could apply for a disabled player exception. If approved, it would be worth about $6.65MM, though it’s unclear how motivated Milwaukee would be to use such an exception, since team salary is already well above the tax line.