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Is Milwaukee Becoming a Free Agent Destination Town?

By Paul Bressler

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On July 2, the Milwaukee Bucks made the improbable happen when they came to terms with free agent center Greg Monroe on a three-year, $50 million contract.

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The Bucks started to open up some eyes around the league that Milwaukee is quickly becoming a free agent destination.

That’s not because the city has suddenly become glamorous or that the weather is all of sudden spectacular. It’s certainly not because the team is laced with big market opportunities.

It also has little to do with the fact that a new downtown arena is seemingly on the horizon.

Milwaukee has become attractive to prominent free agents primarily because of the incredibly young and talented nucleus they currently have in place.

A credible argument could easily be made that the Bucks made the biggest free agent splash this off-season when their efforts to acquire Monroe paid off.

More importantly, Monroe opened the door for other big time free agents to sign with Milwaukee somewhere down the line.

It should also be noted the Bucks had to beat out the Portland Trailblazers, New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers to do it.

The San Antonio Spurs realistically lay claim to the most notable acquisition with their signing of LaMarcus Aldridge, but the Bucks by far had the most surprising.

The Dallas Mavericks certainly had a horse in that race until the colt (DeAndre Jordan) backed out.

That being said, how could the Detroit Pistons and Stan Van Gundy let Monroe go without a fight? Van Gundy opened up about it on Zach Lowe’s Lowe Post last week, as recounted by Detroit Bad Boys.

"Um…you know I’ll be honest — I go back and forth on it. I really do. Because I think Greg is an outstanding player and I think he’s a high-character guy as well. And I think those are the guys that you generally want to build around. But I don’t think that, you know, he and Andre Drummond are the best fit. Not saying you couldn’t make it work, but certainly not the best fit. First of all, I think the game is moving smaller and quicker as it is. The teams that have continued to play with two big guys – at least one if not both are guys who can step away and make shots. Indiana played with David West. Memphis plays with Zach Randolph. Those guys can all go 17, 18 feet and make shots."

Head coach Jason Kidd has played a tremendous role for the franchise since taking over just two years ago, but it really showed in free agency this year.

Kidd was able to convince the likes of Tyson Chandler to seriously consider the Bucks.

That caliber of player wouldn’t normally give the Bucks a second look, but Kidd’s deep ties to the league opened up doors the team may never had thought existed. Chandler said at the time:

"That’s pretty interesting. I didn’t see that coming. But obviously it’s a huge honor, because I spent two years on the Knicks, and that they want to pursue me means he thinks highly of me. Future Hall of Famer and that’s humbling."

Kidd was also the difference maker for Chris Copeland when he had his fair share of suitors to choose from as well.

"The biggest hook for me was Jason Kidd by far. Obviously, he was a friend of mine before all this. He was a great mentor for me in New York and someone I continue to grow under. An incredible mind on and off the floor."

The Bucks have taken remarkable strides this off-season, and they should expect a different type of talent to at least be interested in them in the future.

However, that doesn’t mean Kidd has lost sight of what put them in a position to open those doors up. The Bucks still start and stop with their young core.

The team’s success will be directly tied to whether or not those young guys reach their potential. Free agency is not going to change that, but it’s good to know that it is an option if necessary.

Next: How The Bucks Compare: An Early Eastern Conference Primer

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