Milwaukee Bucks Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Bucks Officially Sign Middleton, Lopez, Beasley

July 6th, 2023 at 3:11pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bucks have officially completed three of their reported free agent signings, having re-signed forward Khris Middleton and center Brook Lopez while also adding swingman Malik Beasley, according to NBA.com’s transaction log.

Middleton reached a deal with the Bucks during the first couple hours of free agency last Friday evening, reportedly agreeing to terms on a three-year contract that will pay him $102MM.

Middleton turned down a $40.4MM player option in order to secure a more significant overall financial commitment, though he’ll accept a lower salary in 2023/24. That reduction should help the Bucks’ luxury tax situation in the short term.

Lopez, who drew significant free agent interest from the Rockets, ultimately rebuffed Houston’s advances in order to return to Milwaukee on a two-year deal worth a reported $48MM. He and the Bucks reached that agreement on Saturday.

The veteran center and former All-Star had one of his best NBA seasons in 2022/23, bumping his scoring average to 15.9 PPG (his best mark since his Brooklyn days) and finishing as the runner-up in Defensive Player of the Year voting.

As for Beasley, he’s joining the Bucks on a one-year, minimum-salary contract after finishing last season with the Lakers. The veteran wing, who agreed on Monday to sign with Milwaukee is a career 37.8% three-point shooter on 5.8 attempts per game, so he’ll help spread the floor for his new team in 2023/24.

The Bucks are still on track to formally complete deals with Jae Crowder, Robin Lopez, and A.J. Green as well.

Scotto’s Latest: Beasley, Bucks, Plumlee, Spurs, McDaniels, McLemore

July 6th, 2023 at 1:05pm CST by Luke Adams

Before he agreed to join the Bucks on a minimum-salary deal, free agent swingman Malik Beasley received interest from several teams, including the Mavericks, writes Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. According to Scotto, Dallas considered the possibility of acquiring Beasley from the Lakers via sign-and-trade, but it didn’t work out.

New Bucks head coach Adrian Griffin was a factor in getting Beasley to Milwaukee, having spoken to the veteran wing during the team’s recruiting pitch, sources tell Scotto.

The Bucks currently have 12 players pencil in for standard contracts in 2023/24. Scotto hears that Thanasis Antetokounmpo and No. 36 pick Andre Jackson are candidates to end up on the 15-man roster. The team also needs to decide what type of contract No. 58 pick Chris Livingston will sign, Scotto notes. Currently, Lindell Wigginton and Omari Moore are on two-way contracts with Milwaukee, leaving one open two-way slot.

Here’s more from Scotto:

Veteran center Mason Plumlee drew interest in free agency from a number of playoff teams, including the Warriors and Hawks, before deciding to remain with the Clippers, league sources tell Scotto.
The Spurs, having already agreed to get involved in deals that will land them Cedi Osman, Lamar Stevens, and Reggie Bullock, remain open to taking on unwanted contracts in order to add more draft assets, reports Scotto.
Before signing forward Jalen McDaniels as a free agent, the Raptors tried to trade for him multiple times, including at the 2023 deadline, according to Scotto, who says Toronto has been closely monitoring McDaniels since he was at San Diego State.
Veteran guard Ben McLemore, who was out of the NBA last season, will work out for multiple NBA teams during the Las Vegas Summer League, per Scotto. McLemore played in China last season after averaging 10.2 PPG in 64 games for Portland in 2021/22.
In case you missed it, we also rounded up several Knicks-related rumors from Scotto.

A.J. Green Re-Signs With Bucks On Standard Deal

July 6th, 2023 at 9:36am CST by Arthur Hill

July 7: Green’s standard deal is official, per NBA.com’s official transactions log.

July 6: A.J. Green will remain with the Bucks on a multi-year contract, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. Only the first year of the deal is fully guaranteed, Charania adds. It’s a three-year deal, tweets Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.

The 23-year-old shooting guard will receive his first standard NBA contract after playing on a two-way deal last season. He signed with Milwaukee last July after going undrafted out of Northern Iowa.

Green appeared in 35 games for the Bucks during his first NBA season, averaging 4.4 points and 1.3 rebounds in 9.9 minutes per night. He underwent surgery for a nasal fracture in October that kept him out of action for close to a month.

Green is the fourth Bucks free agent to agree to re-signed with the team, joining Khris Middleton, Brook Lopez, and Jae Crowder. The team has also reached deals with Malik Beasley and Robin Lopez.

Giannis Antetokounmpo Underwent Clean-Up Procedure On Knee

July 5th, 2023 at 10:41am CST by Luke Adams

Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo underwent a clean-up procedure on his knee two weeks ago, casting doubt on his availability for Greece in this year’s World Cup, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

A report out of Greece previously indicated that Antetokounmpo was less than 50/50 to play for Greece this summer due to a leg injury, as BasketNews.com relayed.

It’s unclear whether the procedure reported by Charania was on Antetokounmpo’s left or right knee. He missed some time during the first half of the 2022/23 season due to left knee soreness, but was affected in the second half by soreness in his right knee.

Either way, given that Giannis still hasn’t been entirely ruled out for the World Cup, which begins in late August, it sounds like there’s no concern at this point that his recovery process will extend into the start of the NBA regular season in October.

Antetokounmpo is entering the third season of his five-year, super-max contract with the Bucks and has the ability to opt out of that contract in 2025. He’ll become extension-eligible before the 2023/24 season begins.

Malik Beasley To Sign One-Year Contract With Bucks

July 3rd, 2023 at 6:07pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Free agent guard Malik Beasley is signing a one-year contract with the Bucks, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.

A seven-year veteran, Beasley is signing for the veteran’s minimum of $2,709,849, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets. Milwaukee will carry a cap hit of $2,019,706.

Beasley entered the free agent market when the Lakers declined their $16.5MM option on his contract for next season. Beasley had multiple suitors who were seeking a low-cost perimeter option and the Bucks’ interest in him had previously been reported.

A long-range shooting specialist who holds a career mark of 37.8% from deep, Beasley shot just 35.7% last season, including 35.3% with the Lakers. He was acquired from Utah at the trade deadline in the deal involving Russell Westbrook.

Overall, the 26-year-old appeared in 81 games last season, including 27 starts (25.8 MPG). He was a non-factor in the postseason, appearing in 11 games while shooting 26.9% from long distance in 8.3 MPG.

If he regains his previous form, Beasley could play major minutes as the backup shooting guard behind Grayson Allen. Beasley was a 2016 first-round pick for Denver and spent three-and-a-half seasons there before a two-and-a-half-year stint with Minnesota. He’s averaged 10.8 points in 21.9 minutes through 417 regular-season games.

Bucks Sign Robin Lopez

July 3rd, 2023 at 4:13pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 6: Lopez is back with the Bucks. His deal with Milwaukee is official, per NBA.com’s transaction log.

JULY 3: The Bucks are reuniting the Lopez twins, having agreed to sign free agent center Robin Lopez, according to Shams Charania of the Athletic (Twitter link).

Milwaukee reached a two-year, $48MM deal with Brook Lopez on Saturday. While Charania didn’t specify the terms of Robin’s agreement, Brook’s brother will likely earn the minimum salary, given the team’s cap constraints and the fact that he’s coming off a minimum deal.

A 15-year NBA veteran, Robin spent the 2022/23 campaign with the Cavaliers, playing limited minutes in a frontcourt led by Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley. He appeared in just 37 games, averaging 3.0 points and 1.4 rebounds in 8.1 minutes per night. Those numbers were all career lows.

Although Robin’s on-court role in Milwaukee may not be any more expansive than what it was in Cleveland, he’ll provide the Bucks with another veteran leader in the locker room and an experienced option up front if called upon.

It will be Robin’s second go-round with the Bucks. He and Brook also played together for the team in 2019/20.

Having also agreed to bring back free agents Khris Middleton and Jae Crowder, Milwaukee still has at least two or three roster spots to fill, with limited financial resources to do so. The full $5MM taxpayer mid-level exception won’t be available to the team, barring a cost-cutting move.

Central Notes: Bucks, Pistons, Parker, Pacers’ Coaches

July 2nd, 2023 at 10:35am CST by Arthur Hill

The Bucks kept their core intact by re-signing Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez, but it will be challenging to fill out the roster while remaining under the second tax apron, writes Eric Nehm of The Athletic. The two new contracts bring Milwaukee’s projected spending for next season to nearly $170MM for eight players, leaving six more to be added without reaching the $182.79MM apron. Nehm points out that they can’t avoid the apron if they use their full $5MM taxpayer mid-level exception and will have to complete the roster mostly through veteran’s minimum contracts and re-signing their own players through Bird rights.

A new one-year deal with Jae Crowder will help, Nehm adds. The Bucks parted with five second-round picks to acquire the veteran forward in February, but he wasn’t a lock to return because he didn’t have the impact on defense that the team was expecting. Thanasis Antetokounmpo will likely be back, according to Nehm, but the Bucks are expected to wait until later this summer to officially sign him to retain their financial flexibility.

Nehm notes that finding a backup point guard will be a priority after losing Jevon Carter to the Bulls. He names Kendrick Nunn as a potential low-cost option, along with Cory Joseph, who is on the market after spending the last two seasons in Detroit.

Nehm suggests that Milwaukee could look for bargains with its other open roster spots. He mentions Kings shooting guard Terence Davis and Raptors point guard Dalano Banton as possibilities, as well the Lakers’ Malik Beasley and Lonnie Walker if they’re willing to accept minimum offers for one year to join a title contender.

There’s more from the Central Division:

Instead of signing free agents, the Pistons used their cap room to trade for two veterans, which sets them up for big moves at the deadline and next summer, observes Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press. Joe Harris at $19.9MM and Monte Morris at $9.8MM use up virtually all of Detroit’s $30MM in cap space, but they both have expiring contracts that could be valuable at the deadline in February. Sankofa notes that the same is true for Alec Burks‘ $10.5MM deal, while Bojan Bogdanovic is virtually expiring because his 2024/25 contract only carries a $2MM guarantee.
A family matter will prevent Jabari Parker from joining the Bucks for the Las Vegas Summer League, Nehm tweets. The former No. 2 overall pick is hoping for another NBA opportunity after sitting out all of last season.
Pacers assistant Ronald Nored will join Quin Snyder‘s staff with the Hawks, tweets Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files. Indiana will move Jenny Boucek to the front of the bench and make Jim Boylen an assistant after he served as a consultant last season.

Checking In On NBA’s Top Remaining Free Agents

July 2nd, 2023 at 7:29am CST by Luke Adams

Technically, most of this year’s top free agents remain unsigned. Until the moratorium in place at the start of the 2023/24 league year lifts at 11:01 am Central time on July 6, most of them are ineligible to sign their new contracts.

However, within the last 40-ish hours, 36 of the players from our list of 2023’s top 50 free agents have taken themselves off the market by reaching contract agreements with teams around the league.

[RELATED: 2023 NBA Free Agent Tracker]

While those are just tentative agreements and could still fall apart, that usually doesn’t happen more than once or twice in a given offseason, so it’s safe to pencil those deals in for the time being and assume those free agents are off the board.

So who does that leave? As of early Sunday morning, here are the top free agents from our top-50 list who have yet to agree to new deals:

Miles Bridges, F, Hornets (RFA)
P.J. Washington, F, Hornets (RFA)
Grant Williams, F, Celtics (RFA)
Christian Wood, F/C
Kelly Oubre, F
Eric Gordon, G
Malik Beasley, G/F
Matisse Thybulle, F, Trail Blazers (RFA)
Lonnie Walker, G/F
Mason Plumlee, C
Ayo Dosunmu, G, Bulls (RFA)
Torrey Craig, F
Hamidou Diallo, G
Paul Reed, F/C, Sixers (RFA)

The Hornets are very much in the mix for all three of the remaining free agents in our top 20. As long as their qualifying offers to Washington and Bridges remain on the table, they control those players’ free agencies, with the ability to match any offer sheet they sign.

A report on Saturday indicated Charlotte is also mulling the possibility of an offer sheet for Williams. If the Hornets went ahead with a pursuit of the Celtics forward, it would presumably mean moving on from at least one of Bridges or Washington. According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, Washington has received interest from a few other teams and may be looking at a deal in the range of the one Rui Hachimura got from the Lakers (three years, $51MM).

Since being restricted can slow down the free agency process for players who don’t quickly negotiate a deal with their own teams, it’s possible there won’t be resolution right away for Thybulle, Dosunmu, and Reed. However, the rest of the players in this group are unrestricted and could move faster.

Scotto also has an update on Beasley, reporting today that the veteran shooter has drawn interest from the Sixers, Suns, Raptors, Mavericks, Bucks, and Warriors since reaching free agency. Some of those teams are limited to a minimum-salary offer.

The Kings and Pistons are among the teams that have displayed interest in Craig, according to Scotto, who notes that Detroit’s new head coach Monty Williams was a fan of the wing in Phoenix.

The following free agents were noted in the honorable mention section of our top-50 list and aren’t yet spoken for:

Mohamed Bamba, C
Dalano Banton, G
Terence Davis, G
Javonte Green, G
Derrick Jones, F
Cory Joseph, G
Romeo Langford, G/F
Jaylen Nowell, G
Kendrick Nunn, G
Dario Saric, F

Here are our full lists of free agents by position/type and by team.

Bucks To Re-Sign Brook Lopez To Two-Year Deal

July 1st, 2023 at 1:39pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Bucks have agreed to terms on a new deal for All-Defensive center Brook Lopez, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link), who reports that the free agent big man will return to the team on a two-year, $48MM deal.

There had been rumblings leading up to free agency that the Rockets were preparing a two-year offer in excess of $40MM for Lopez, so the Bucks used their Bird rights to make an aggressive bid for the big man, ensuring that the Defensive Player of the Year runner-up will continue his career in Milwaukee. Charania confirms (via Twitter) that Houston had indeed made a similar offer.

Lopez, 35, has been a huge part of the Bucks’ recent success. After spending the first portion of his career as an old-school post scorer with an aversion to rim protection, he remade his game in Milwaukee, evolving into a 3-and-D center on a perennial title contender. He won his first NBA championship with the club in 2021.

In agreeing to re-sign Lopez and All-Star swingman Khris Middleton, the Bucks have now held onto their two most important free agents this summer. Milwaukee has thus far let two rotation players, reserve point guard Jevon Carter and backup forward Joe Ingles, walk during this free agent window.

Last year for a 58-24 Bucks club — the league’s top overall seed heading into the playoffs — Lopez averaged 15.9 PPG on .531/.374/.784 shooting splits, 6.7 RPG, 2.5 BPG and 1.3 APG. That block rate was third overall for the season.

Free Agent Rumors: G. Williams, Lakers, Gordon, Vincent, Brooks

July 1st, 2023 at 1:39am CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Celtics are letting the market dictate how they proceed with the contract of restricted free agent power forward Grant Williams.

Sources tell Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe that, since Boston has the right of first refusal on Williams, the team is waiting to see if he gets an offer sheet before making a decision on his future.

The 3-and-D role player could be feeling some roster squeeze if he does return to the Celtics next season, as the club will now boast a frontcourt that features Kristaps Porzingis in addition to Al Horford and Robert Williams III.

Here’s more from around the league:

The Lakers may be open to bringing back unrestricted free agent shooting guard Malik Beasley for next season, even after deciding not to pick up their $16.5MM option on him for 2023/24. Sources tell Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports that team president Rob Pelinka still appreciates Beasley as a player and the club has some interest in re-signing him on what would have to be a significantly smaller deal. Fischer adds that the Lakers have not yet made a determination on the future of starting point guard D’Angelo Russell, though both Russell’s management and L.A. had been hopeful about reaching a new long-term deal earlier Friday.
Fischer adds that the Raptors were viewed as a prime suitor Gabe Vincent as it became increasingly clear that Fred VanVleet would sign a huge new contract with the Rockets. However, after Lakers mid-level target Bruce Brown joined the Pacers early on in free agency, Los Angeles weighed a pursuit of shooting guard Eric Gordon before ultimately deciding on Vincent. Sources tell Fischer that the Raptors didn’t end up reaching out to Vincent during free agency.
The Heat offered Vincent a four-year, $34MM contract to stay in Miami, a source tells Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press (via Twitter). The 27-year-old instead opted for a shorter-term deal with a higher annual salary, accepting a three-year, $33MM offer from the Lakers.
The Rockets‘ anticipated meeting with small forward Dillon Brooks is taking place either late on Friday or at some point on Saturday, reports Kelly Iko of The Athletic. According to Iko, the defensive-oriented 6’7″ swingman has had conversations with the Bucks and Lakers on Friday while Houston focused on locking up VanVleet. Now that the Lakers have committed most of their mid-level exception to Vincent, they’re likely no longer a viable landing spot for Brooks, Iko notes.