The Buck Stops Here Roundtable #2: Draft Reactions, Free Agency Expectations

Considering the type of high character, hard workings guys that were added on draft night, can the Bucks sign similar free agents? Who should the front office be targeting?

AM: Low-key, high energy guys who are calm and collected but will apply themselves for all 48 minutes.

A mixture of workman like youngsters with some untapped potential and a couple of veterans who can tie the locker room together would seem perfect to me.

Jared Dudley would be great although I’m not sure with the shape of the roster that he’ll be on their list.

Guys like Solomon Hill, Dewayne Dedmon, E’Twaun Moore and Langston Galloway would make this team infinitely better without people necessarily noticing.

TP: The Bucks need to avoid trying to make a splash in free agency this year. Since the possibility of making a splash in free agency is fairly new to a franchise and fan base who had Bobby Simmons as, probably, the biggest free agent signing up to last year, it may be a tough sell.

But the Bucks need supporting pieces now, guys who will do the dirty work and consistently do the little things to help the team win. Solid veteran back up players with the skills to improve the team in weak areas like shooting and rebounding.

TWindisch: The Milwaukee Bucks should go after reasonably priced veterans (or slightly younger guys) who are ready to contribute to a team without wanting too many touches or bringing any drama. The team really needs help with outside shooting and defense, so three-and-D guys would be perfect for this squad.

But the Bucks won’t necessarily do what they should do. Dwight Howard is not a reasonably priced player who comes without drama. It’d be nice if the Bucks landed a big name free agent, but this class doesn’t really offer many options that would both a) conceivably sign in Milwaukee and b) fit well with the Bucks.

Mike Conley is probably the best free agent for the team who would ever consider the Bucks, but that’s a long shot indeed. Chances are the best thing to do this summer is to keep financial flexibility by dealing Greg Monroe, and try to sign some bargain contracts to help out down the road.

JT: I think they definitely could find high character players in this year’s free agency.

I know I’ve used this example many times before, but I think a good benchmark for what the Bucks should try do this offseason is to look at what the Toronto Raptors did last summer.

You’re going to have to overpay for both veterans and players that have had trouble finding a spot on a team, but with a defined core in place, this offseason should be about filling the many cracks/finding complementary players to put around the team’s foundation.

TWray: As Ti said, the primary focus for the Bucks should be to target reasonably priced role players who can immediately help the Bucks relatively weak three-point shooting and defense.

Given who’s available, I don’t think Milwaukee should even bother make pitches to any of the higher profile free agents. I’d be extremely skeptical about Milwaukee extending offers over $20 million to the likes of Dwight Howard and Joakim Noah.

However, with the salary cap explosion, my fear is that the Bucks are going to massively overpay whoever they bring in. Other than Matthew Dellavedova, Langston Galloway and Solomon Hill are probably the two names that I hope the Bucks pursue.

Next: Milwaukee Bucks: Identifying Young Free Agent Bargains

Check back next week when we’ll reconvene for another roundtable!