Is John Henson Worth the Money?

John Henson and the Milwaukee Bucks had apparently come to terms on a contract extension before ESPN’s Marc Stein put the kibosh to an overzealous report from NBA TV.

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Stein did confirm a portion of the initial report with regards to the two parties actively participating “in advanced negotiations” but no such deal had yet to be completed.

Stein also revealed that the Bucks were eager to get a deal done, because the organization values Henson as a key part of their youth movement.

That movement includes swingman Khris Middleton, and the five-year, $70 million contract he was awarded with just hours after free agency got underway.

The Bucks then upstaged the re-signing of Middleton, a day later, by securing the rights to Greg Monroe with a three-year, $50 million contact.

It is still unclear exactly “how much” the Bucks value their No. 14 overall pick from the 2012 NBA Draft as the parameters of the reported terms have not been disclosed.

Source close to talks says @NBATV story that Bucks/John Henson have deal on extension is premature BUT says sides indeed heading toward deal
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) July 13, 2015

Bucks regard Henson as key part of their core alongside Giannis, Jabari, Monroe, MCW and Middleton and want to get Henson signed/sealed, too
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) July 13, 2015

This comes as a shock to many considering the rumors that surrounded Henson a few weeks before with the 2015 NBA Draft looming.

Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal-Times supported the idea that the Bucks were looking at scenarios that would enable them to move up in the draft.

"The Bucks are definitely exploring ways to move up. John Henson could be dangled as trade bait, as well as a 2016 first-round pick obtained from the Los Angeles Clippers."

Ultimately, the Bucks decided to stand pat and selected Rashad Vaughn with the No. 17 pick on June 25 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

A lot of Bucks fans were calling for the team to take one of the available power forwards, but the team instead went with Vaughn.

This could easily have been portrayed as a vote of confidence for Henson. It could also mean the Bucks didn’t find any takers and didn’t like their options in the draft.

How much can the Bucks really value a bench player they were just trying to dump?

Giannis Antetokounmpo gave his take on Henson, and it’s not exactly a ringing endorsement.

"I think we need a top class bigman. We have Zaza Pachulia who really knows how to play basketball and John Henson who will keep getting better and better and some other big guys with potential. But we need an athletic, top class bigman. Who will be able to finish plays, score and play effective defense. Who will have the skills to function as the rim protector and set good screens."

Antetokoumpo had a pretty good idea of the type of big he wanted and didn’t feel like the team had the right guy to get them to the next level.

There’s a reason why the Bucks brought in Monroe in the first place, and it’s not just because he’s an excellent talent.

The Bucks had a desperate need for a more complete big man, and that was a role Henson wasn’t fulfilling.

In his three seasons in the NBA, Henson’s averages have either stagnated or dipped for the most part.

The two areas that Henson has shown improvement are field goal percentage and blocks. Per 36 minutes:

Season	Age	Tm	G	MP	FG	FGA	FG%	FTA	FT%	ORB	TRB	AST	STL	BLK	TOV	PTS
2012-13	22	MIL	63	827	7.1	14.6	.482	4.6	.533	5.0	12.9	1.3	0.8	1.8	2.0	16.5
2013-14	23	MIL	70	1856	6.7	12.4	.538	3.4	.514	3.3	9.6	2.2	0.8	2.3	2.2	15.1
2014-15	24	MIL	67	1228	5.7	10.1	.566	4.0	.569	3.6	9.1	1.7	0.8	4.0	2.6	13.8
Career			200	3911	6.5	12.2	.531	3.9	.537	3.8	10.2	1.9	0.8	2.7	2.3	15.0

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 8/19/2015.

Henson hasn’t really shown that he’s added much of anything to his game in the last couple of years. He’s still mostly a hustle guy.

That’s not to say there’s not room for that in this league, but you don’t want to be paying top dollar for it either.

He has that patented left hook which is something. That being said, Henson’s not a guy you can throw it to on the block and expect him to make a play.

Nevertheless, it’s been over a month since anything has appeared on the Henson front.

However, he is still a part of The Sneaky Extension Crew from Grantland.

"John Henson: Our own Marc Stein reported weeks ago that Milwaukee and Henson were close to a deal, but things have gone radio silent since. The two sides are still on course, per several league sources, and Henson will probably get a payday in the eight-figure range that busts past the “sneaky” label. Bigs get paid. Hell, Aron Baynes just got nearly $20 million over three seasons, and every agent repping a moderately talented big man is ready to wave that deal in a GM’s face. Henson found his NBA niche by scrapping post-ups, slicing down the lane for pick-and-roll finishes, and keeping those condor arms spread wide on defense."

Henson at $10 million plus every year is a pretty scary thought, but in today’s NBA game that’s fairly common.

The benefit of being an athletic 6′ 11″ and full of perceived potential creates staying power that most players normally don’t have.

These negotiations have “backfire” written all over them, and it’s time to cut him loose if a fair price doesn’t present itself.

Henson’s not worth it, but he going to get his money. It’s just a matter of from whom.

He may end up succeeding somewhere else, but it certainly doesn’t appear that it’s in the cards for him here in Milwaukee.

Sometimes a player has to be let go before they can realize their potential.

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