Tony Snell Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Bucks Sign Tony Snell To Four-Year Deal

July 31st, 2017 at 4:04pm CST by Austin Kent

JULY 31: More than a month after the Bucks and Snell agreed to terms on a new deal, the team has made it official, issuing a press release to formally announce the signing.

“Tony was an integral part of our team’s improvement last season and we’re excited to re-sign him,” new GM Jon Horst said in a statement. “He is a tireless worker, a terrific teammate and a man of great character. We look forward to having him back with the Bucks as we continue to build toward a championship.”

JUNE 30: The Bucks have agreed on a four-year deal with Tony Snell worth $46MM, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets. Snell will hold a player option after the third year.

The agreement comes on the heels of a season in which Snell emerged as rotation player on a postseason contender. In 80 games for the Bucks, the swingman posted 8.5 points and 3.1 rebounds per contest.

Wojnarowski had previously written about how the three-and-D player figured to draw considerable interest on the market and the disclosed agreement falls right in line with what he predicted earlier in the month.

Fun Fact: This was the first Woj Bomb of Wojnarowski’s stint with ESPN.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Lowe’s Latest: George, Hayward, Ibaka, Gallinari

June 30th, 2017 at 9:16am CST by Luke Adams

A proposed scenario that would see the Celtics sign Gordon Hayward, trade for Paul George, and sign George to a contract extension isn’t realistic, writes Zach Lowe in his latest report for ESPN.com. As Lowe points out, there would be no reason for George to re-up with Boston right away in that scenario unless he could renegotiate a maximum salary, and it would be extremely difficult for the C’s to accommodate such a deal without moving Al Horford.

Knowing that if they acquire George, he could be a rental, the Celtics have thus far been unwilling to include Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, the Nets’ 2018 first-round pick, or the Lakers’ 2018 first-rounder in any of their offers to Indiana, Lowe reports. Lowe’s best guess at Boston’s offer is a package that would include Jae Crowder, Marcus Smart, and one of the team’s other first-round picks. The C’s will be reluctant to go much higher than that, given their fear that George could leave in 2018 — Tania Ganguli of The Los Angeles Times wrote on Thursday night that the Pacers forward is still telling friends he expects to be a Laker in 2018.

While George could just be a one-year rental, the Celtics have competition for him. According to Lowe, the Wizards would likely be willing to sign-and-trade Otto Porter and include a first-round pick. The Cavaliers would swap Kevin Love straight up, though that doesn’t interest Indiana much, per Lowe. If the Nuggets get involved again via three-way talks for George and Love, they could offer Gary Harris and a first-round pick, though NBA execs expect Harris to command upwards of $20MM annually on his next contract, which is due soon, says Lowe.

Here’s more from Lowe with the free agent period right around the corner:

Lowe views Hayward as less than a 50-50 bet to stay with the Jazz, with both the Celtics and Heat as legitimate suitors. The ESPN scribe adds that he wouldn’t be surprised if a mystery fourth team ends up getting a meeting with Hayward.
The market for Raptors big man Serge Ibaka and Nuggets forward Danilo Gallinari is expected to be in about the $20MM-per-year range, sources tell Lowe.
The Sixers have told player agents that they plan on signing one-year contracts in free agency this summer to preserve future cap space. They may also use some of their current cap room to sign Robert Covington to a renegotiated extension, writes Lowe.
Lowe expects the Bucks to sign Tony Snell to a deal in the range of $10-12MM annually.
Despite drafting De’Aaron Fox, the Kings may still spend on a free agent point guard as a veteran mentor, particularly if they decide they want to chase a playoff spot right away, says Lowe.
The Grizzlies are “crossing their fingers” that the market for RFA power forward JaMychal Green isn’t as competitive as expected, according to Lowe.

Tony Snell, Ron Baker Receive Qualifying Offers

June 29th, 2017 at 8:23am CST by Luke Adams

Tony Snell and Ron Baker are the latest players to receive qualifying offers from their respective teams, having been tendered by the Bucks and Knicks, respectively, according to RealGM’s transactions log. With QOs in hand, Snell and Baker will now head into the new league year as restricted free agents.

Snell, acquired by the Bucks last fall in exchange for Michael Carter-Williams, was a reliable rotation piece in Milwaukee last season, averaging a career-high 8.5 PPG to go along with 3.1 RPG and a .406 3PT%.

A career 37.3% shooter from three-point range, Snell figures to draw plenty of attention from teams seeking three-and-D wings, with Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical suggesting earlier this month than an annual salary in the neighborhood of $11-13MM may be within reach for the 25-year-old. Since he met the starter criteria, Snell’s qualifying offer will be worth $4,588,840.

As for Baker, the undrafted free agent out of Wichita State will receive a more modest $1,512,611 qualifying offer, though Ian Begley of ESPN.com indicates the 6’4″ guard may draw enough interest to force the Knicks to use some of their cap room to retain him. In his rookie season, Baker appeared in 52 games (13 starts) for New York, averaging 4.1 PPG and 2.1 APG in 16.5 minutes per contest. He’ll be subject to the Arenas Rule.

Woj’s Latest: Celtics, Griffin, CP3, LeBron, Snell

June 14th, 2017 at 1:52pm CST by Luke Adams

The Celtics are expected to be the Clippers‘ biggest threat for Blake Griffin this summer, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, who discussed 2017 free agency on a podcast with Bobby Marks. Wojnarowski suggests that Griffin and Gordon Hayward are expected to be the Celtics’ top two targets next month, adding that if Hayward leaves the Jazz, it would be a “tortured” decision.

As for the Clippers, Wojnarowski doesn’t see a scenario in which the club is able to bring back Griffin, Chris Paul, and J.J. Redick. And while Redick is probably the most likely of the three to change teams, Woj thinks there’s a “real chance” the Clippers would move on from from Paul if the two sides can’t come to a quick agreement when free agency begins. Wojnarowski names the Spurs, Heat, Lakers, and Rockets as teams that could get involved in the CP3 sweepstakes if the veteran point guard seriously considers leaving the Clips.

Here are some of the other highlights from Wojnarowski’s conversation with Marks:

The Cavaliers aren’t necessarily assuming it’s a given that LeBron James will re-sign with them in 2018. A move out west – possibly to the Lakers or Clippers – a year from now is “very much in play” for LeBron, according to Wojnarowski.
Wojnarowski suggests that Tony Snell may be a popular restricted free agent this summer, since teams may feel like they can put pressure on the Bucks, who won’t want to approach tax territory. An annual salary in the $11-13MM range is within range for Snell, says Wojnarowski.
During a discussion of possible Nets RFA targets, Wojnarowski mentions Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and notes that the Pistons don’t really want to max him out. However, the idea of losing KCP for nothing would likely be even less appealing to Detroit.
While the Lakers haven’t necessarily made any decisions yet, they’re “looking hard” at Josh Jackson with the No. 2 pick. Wojnarowski observes that there are a lot of voices in the team’s front office, so Jackson has support from some execs.
Wojnarowski and Marks dismiss the idea that the Kings would trade the fifth and 10th overall picks to move up to No. 3 to nab a top point guard. However, they acknowledge that Sacramento packaging the No. 5 pick with something a little less valuable in order to trade up wouldn’t be unrealistic.

Bucks Plan To Retain Snell; Parker Making Progress

May 4th, 2017 at 7:44pm CST by Joshua Fischman

The Bucks plan to retain restricted free agent Tony Snell, Bucks general manager John Hammond said Thursday, according to The Associated Press (link via The Star Tribune).

“He’s an outstanding guy and a guy we want to have as part of our team moving forward,” Hammond said of Snell. “He’s about the right things. I think Tony wants to be here. We’re hoping to bring him back. We’re planning on him being with us next season.”

Since Snell will be a restricted free agent, Milwaukee can match any offer sheet he signs this offseason. In his first season with the Bucks, Snell started all 80 games in which he played, averaging career highs in points (8.5), field goal percentage (45.5), and minutes (29.2). He also became a three-point threat, converting 40.6% of his 4.4 three-point attempts per game.

Hammond also indicated that Jabari Parker is recovering promisingly from a torn ACL in his left knee and the medical staff hopes he can return for next season’s All-Star break. While Hammond certainly considers Parker a key part of the Bucks’ long-term future and referred to his progress as “amazing,” the forward’s eligibility for a contract extension this offseason could be complicated by his second torn ACL in three NBA seasons. Parker averaged 20.1 PPG and 6.2 RPG on 49.0% shooting in 51 games this season (33.9 MPG) before going down.

The general manager also spoke about Greg Monroe, who has until the night of the NBA draft on June 22 to decide whether he will exercise his $17.8MM player option for the 2017/2018 campaign. As the Bucks GM explains, the team wants to give Monroe some space to weigh that option decision: “At this time, it is a time to let Greg settle in and let him make the decision he feels is best for him.”

Despite averaging a career low in minutes per game and coming off the bench for all 81 games he played, Monroe enjoyed a productive season, averaging 11.7 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 2.3 APG, and shooting 53.4%. Monroe signed with the Bucks during the 2015 offseason after playing five seasons for the Pistons.

Central Notes: Rondo, Hoiberg, George, Bucks

April 28th, 2017 at 10:57pm CST by Arthur Hill

Rajon Rondo faces an uncertain future with the Bulls, but he got an endorsement from coach Fred Hoiberg after tonight’s season-ending loss, tweets Vincent Goodwill of CSNChicago. “I love Rondo,” Hoiberg told reporters. “I love the kid. I Iove coaching him.” Rondo is set to make $13.397MM next season, but only $3MM of that is guaranteed through June 30th. The 31-year-old point guard had a rocky regular season, but was instrumental in the eighth-seeded Bulls taking a 2-0 lead over the Celtics before he got hurt and missed the final four games of the series.

There’s more tonight from the Central Division:

There were loud chants of “Fire Hoiberg” toward the end of tonight’s 22-point loss, but the second-year coach said he sympathizes with fans who are upset (Twitter link). “I understand the frustration,” Hoiberg said. “We got off to a 2-0 lead but couldn’t finish it off. I do understand.” He has three seasons left on the five-year, $25MM contract the Bulls gave him in 2015.
The results of next month’s draft lottery could impact a potential Paul George trade, tweets Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders. The Celtics, who enter the lottery with the best odds, and the Lakers, who are third, are the two teams most often mentioned as trading partners for George. Either could improve their bargaining positions by landing a top-two pick and giving the Pacers a shot at Markelle Fultz or Lonzo Ball. With Jeff Teague entering free agency, Indiana might be tempted to unload George in exchange for its point guard of the future. Pincus notes that the Celtics could trade for George and still be able to make a max offer in free agency (Twitter link).
The Bucks need another star but may not have the resources to add one, writes Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer. Milwaukee will be over the cap if it re-signs Greg Monroe or Tony Snell, and would have less than $20MM to offer if both players leave, not enough to attract a max-level free agent. O’Connor believes keeping Snell should be a priority. In the draft, the Bucks have all their future first-rounders, but will pick 17th this year and won’t move any higher as long as they keep making the playoffs.

Bucks Notes: Snell, Brogdon, Maker

April 22nd, 2017 at 5:14pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Bucks swapped Michael Carter-Williams for Tony Snell right before the season started and the small forward has become one of the team’s most important players, Gery Woelfel of the Journal Times details. Snell has become a top defender on the team, as evidenced by his performance against DeMar DeRozan in Game 3 of the team’s opening round series. On offense, Snell’s improved 3-point shooting gives the team another lethal option from behind the arc.

“At the beginning of the season, Tony said he wanted to be a 3 and D guy. He wanted to shoot 3s really well and play defense really well, locking up people. And he’s taken that to heart. He’s playing at a high level defensively,’’ teammate Malcolm Brogdon said.

Snell will be a restricted free agent at the end of the season and he should garner interest from rival teams. 6’7″ wings who shoot over 40% from three and play great defense are alway in demand and I speculate that Snell nabs a contract with annual values ranging from $12-14MM. The Bucks have approximately $82MM in guaranteed salaries on the books for next season against a projected $101MM salary cap, though they could go over the cap to sign the small forward since they own his bird rights.

Here’s more from Milwaukee:

The Bucks are the first team since the 2012/13 Warriors to start two rookies in a playoff game and the team has put in a lot of work to get them ready for the postseason, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today writes.“[Thon Maker] and Malcolm believe that they can do the job,” coach Jason Kidd said. “The guys on the floor and on the bench support them, and the coaching staff has done everything to prepare them for this moment. It’s up to them to be basketball players, and they’re very comfortable with doing that.”

Maker is embracing his role as a defensive-minded starter on the Bucks, Michael Grange of SportsNet relays. “Bringing energy, blocking shots. It starts at the defensive end. Offensively it’s spacing the floor and using my knowledge of the game at this point to make plays for others and myself, but at this point it’s mostly on the defensive end,” Maker said.
If the Bucks had their own D-League affiliate, Maker may not be playing for the NBA club, Grange adds in the same piece. The team wanted to get him experience but didn’t want to send him to another team’s affiliate and potentially waste time. Stuck without many options, the coaching staff found a solution in playing Maker in limited minutes in the starting lineup. “So, we needed to play him and after talking with the coaching staff we thought, ‘Let’s look at starting him and being able to benefit, using his energy but also an opportunity to play so it’s not a wasted season,’‘ Kidd said.

Potential 2017 RFAs Whose Qualifying Offers Will Be Impacted By Starter Criteria

April 7th, 2017 at 11:22am CST by Luke Adams

The NBA’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement, which will go into effect on July 1, 2017, includes a number of changes to the free agent process, including some that apply specifically to restricted free agents. However, one aspect of restricted free agency unaffected by the new CBA is what’s referred to as the “starter criteria,” which can affect how much an RFA’s qualifying offer will be worth.

Here’s how the starter criteria works: A player who is eligible for restricted free agency is considered to have met the starter criteria if he plays at least 2,000 minutes or starts 41 games in the season before he reaches free agency. A player can also meet the criteria if he averages either of those marks in the two seasons prior to his restricted free agency. For instance, if a player started 50 games in 2015/16 and 35 in 2016/17, he’d meet the starter criteria, since his average number of starts over the last two seasons exceeds 41.

A player’s ability or inability to meet the starter criteria can affect the value of the qualifying offer he receives as a restricted free agent, as follows:

A top-14 pick who does not meet the starter criteria will receive a qualifying offer equal to the amount the 15th overall pick would receive if he signed for 120% of the rookie scale.
A player picked between 10th and 30th who meets the criteria will receive a qualifying offer equal to the amount the ninth overall pick would receive if he signed for 120% of the rookie scale.
A second-round pick or undrafted player who meets the criteria will receive a qualifying offer equal to the amount the 21st overall pick would receive if he signed for 100% of the rookie scale.
For all other RFAs, the standard criteria determine the amounts of their qualifying offers.

Extending a qualifying offer to a player ensures that a team has the right of first refusal if he signs an offer sheet, and gives the player the option of signing that one-year QO. Generally, the value of a restricted free agent’s qualifying offer isn’t hugely important, since very few RFAs accept those offers outright. Still, those QOs can have an impact on a team’s salary cap outlook during July’s free agent period, so it’s worth checking in to see which potential RFAs will be eligible for higher or lower qualifying offers this summer.

Listed below are the top-14 picks on track for restricted free agency who have not met the starter criteria. These players will be eligible for qualifying offers worth $4,187,598.

Alex Len (Suns)
Nerlens Noel (Mavericks)
Trey Burke (Wizards)
Michael Carter-Williams (Bulls)
Kelly Olynyk (Celtics)
Shabazz Muhammad (Timberwolves)

Len and Noel had the worst QO luck this season. As the fifth and sixth overall picks in 2013, they would have been in line for qualifying offers worth about $6.4MM and $5.85MM, respectively. Instead, their QOs will be worth less than $4.2MM. Both players were very close to meeting the starter criteria too — they’ve started 77 games apiece in the past two years, so they’ll fall just short of the 82 required.

The players listed below are non-lottery first-round picks who will meet the starter criteria. That will make each of them eligible for a qualifying offer worth $4,588,840.

Tony Snell (Bucks)
Mason Plumlee (Nuggets)
Tim Hardaway (Hawks)
Andre Roberson (Thunder)

All four of these players were selected in the 20-26 range in the 2013 draft, and their QOs would’ve ranged from about $3.39MM to $3.22MM if they hadn’t met the starter criteria.

Here are the rest of the RFAs whose qualifying offers won’t necessarily be determined by the standard criteria:

Undrafted power forward JaMychal Green (Grizzlies) has met the starter criteria, putting him in line for a QO worth $2,820,497 instead of the more modest amount he would’ve received as a minimum-salary player.
Two players – Joe Ingles (Jazz) and Ben McLemore (Kings) – still have a chance to meet the starter criteria depending on how the season’s last four days play out. Ingles has played 1,848 minutes this season, meaning he would have to average about 38 MPG in Utah’s last four contests to reach 2,000, which is a tall order. McLemore may fall just short as well, as he currently sits at 79 starts over the last two seasons. He’ll need to start three of the Kings’ last four games in order to average 41 starts per year, but he has only been in Sacramento’s starting lineup twice since the start of March. (End-of-season update: Neither Ingles nor McLemore met the starter criteria.)

Lowe’s Latest: Clippers, Raptors, Wizards, Suns

February 20th, 2017 at 9:57pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Clippers are trying to acquire a small forward without giving up one of their four core players and ESPN’s Zach Lowe reports that Austin Rivers and Jamal Crawford aren’t drawing much interest from opposing teams. The franchise called the Wizards trying to bring Otto Porter to Los Angeles, but Washington was disinterested in engaging in trade talks.

A package of Rivers, Crawford, and a “distant” first-rounder won’t be enough to pry Wilson Chandler from the Nuggets, Lowe reports. Denver is seeking a lottery-protected first-round pick and swap rights on another pick for Chandler or Danilo Gallinari. The Nuggets intend to compete for the eighth seed in the Western Conference and they believe they can do it without one of their veteran small forwards.

Here’s more from Lowe’s latest piece:

The Raptors would like to add another rotation player, sources tell Lowe. The Raptors currently have 15 players under contract, but they could waive Jared Sullinger should they need an open roster spot. Lowe adds that any deal that sends out a high-priced veteran is not likely to occur until the offseason.
The Wizards are also eager to add a rotation player. The team has been linked to Lou Williams and it has explored trading a protected first-rounder in exchange for him. Lowe believes that’s too much value for Washington to give up and opines that two second-round picks may be able to get a deal completed.
The Suns are listening to offers on most of their veterans and Lowe writes that P.J. Tucker is the player who is most likely to be traded. The scribe names the Clippers and Raptors as teams to watch.
The Bucks are willing to listen to offers for anyone besides Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jabari Parker, Thon Maker and Khris Middleton. Lowe adds that the Wolves have expressed interest in Tony Snell.
Jahlil Okafor was close to being acquired by the Blazers before the team traded for Jusuf Nurkic. Lowe adds that the Sixers did not hold Okafor out of two contests to simply drive up his price.
The two-way contracts for players who play in the NBA as well as the D-League could increase the value of second-round picks going forward, Lowe speculates. The scribe adds that front offices are still examining the new CBA and it could cause some teams to wait until after the season to make major deals.

What’s The Next Move For The Bucks?

February 3rd, 2017 at 11:35pm CST by Milo Taibi

The Bucks dealt Miles Plumlee to Charlotte this week, getting out from under Plumlee’s $50MM contract while acquiring inexpensive big men Spencer Hawes and Roy Hibbert. Milwaukee GM John Hammond was widely lauded for the move, creating additional payroll while finding a willing trade partner for Plumlee, who had been relegated to 9.7 MPG through 32 games this season.

With the newfound future cap space, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical suggests Milwaukee may pursue a new deal for Tony Snell, who has averaged 8.1 points on 45.8% shooting in Khris Middleton‘s absence. A restricted free agent after 2016/17, Snell would command a significantly higher salary than the $2,368,327 he earned this season.

In the meantime, however, the Bucks have some roster configuring to do following this week’s trade. As Kevin Pelton pointed out for ESPN, Milwaukee’s depth chart at the five is suddenly loaded, with Hawes, Hibbert, John Henson, Greg Monroe, and Thon Maker all vying for court time.

At first glance, Hibbert appears the most likely to be traded or bought out by the trade deadline. The 30-year-old isn’t on the books for next season, and – if it’s any indication of his role on the team – has already been ruled a healthy inactive for Milwaukee’s game against Phoenix on Saturday. The Bucks have been linked to Hawes in the past, and the 28-year-old has a $6,021,175 player option for next season; a reasonable salary for a competent backup center, though there’s a good chance he’ll opt out.

If Monroe or Henson yield a more significant return on the trade market than the team’s newly-acquired veterans, it may not be a bad idea to trade one of them for a combo guard. As of right now, the Bucks are relying on a combination of Matthew Dellavedova, Malcolm Brogdon, and Jason Terry behind Giannis Antetokounmpo. Monroe has been subject to trade rumors throughout his two-year run in Milwaukee; last month, Monroe claimed to be undecided regarding his $17.8MM player option following the 2016/17 season.

The Bucks have already waived Steve Novak to accommodate Thursday’s trade, creating a center-heavy roster during a vital stretch of their playoff pursuit. In a league over-saturated with centers, Hammond’s challenge may involve finding a new home for one his five big men.

What do you think? Are the Bucks done dealing for now, or will they continue to be active before the trade deadline?