Milwaukee Bucks: Grades/Reaction For Mirza Teletovic Deal
By Adam McGee
Salary
For anyone who hasn’t fully adjusted to the shape of the NBA’s new salary cap leap, Mirza Teletovic’s $30 million dollars over three years likely comes as something of a shock.
A 30-year-old bench player who shoots well but struggles defensively would not previously have been a candidate for that type of money, but the NBA world has changed.
In fact, it has changed so much that this is actually a really good value deal.
To put that in perspective, for anyone who still has salary figures from last year stuck in their head, Teletovic’s $10 million per year equates to roughly $6.9 million when translated into the old money that is now last year’s salary cap.
Considering O.J. Mayo made $8 million last season, and Greivis Vasquez came in at $6.6 million, it’s clear what kind of role the Bucks foresee for Teletovic. As much as the hope and expectation will be that he significantly outperforms those two in production, expect to see him as a proven veteran who is one of the first off the bench, just as would have been planned for both Mayo and Vasquez last year.
It’s also worth noting that with Jared Dudley receiving a three-year, $30 million deal from the Suns, Teletovic was paid what looks like the going rate for veteran stretch fours.
Many Bucks fans will argue that with Dudley’s far superior defense, Milwaukee would have been better served using that same money to bring him back, and they could be right. Having moved on once already though, it might have been as simple as the Bucks wanted to try a fresh approach to move forward.
Next: Fit