The Buck Stops Here Roundtable #3: Remaining Free Agency Decisions
By Tim Wray
Milwaukee has roughly $5 million of cap space remaining, with the flexibility to create more room if needed. Considering how free agency has unfolded thus far, are there any available free agents that you would like the Bucks to pursue?
TP: That is a tough question to answer until the questions regarding Greg Monroe are resolved. What holes will there be on the roster following a Monroe trade?
As things stand now, I wouldn’t mind at all if the Bucks went after somebody like Troy Daniels, just to add another guy that can make shots. He should probably fit under the cap, and would certainly bring a solid NBA skill to the team.
I am also interested to see how the undrafted free agents acquit themselves in Summer League. Might there be someone, perhaps Prince Ibeh or Le’Bryant Nash, who would be able to possibly fill a roster slot on the cheap but at least have the potential to contribute to the team?
AM: Dewayne Dedmon would have been my top choice in this regard up until a couple of days ago. He might even have been a better option than Plumlee, although the ideal for me would have been for the Bucks to have dumped Monroe and had both. Regardless, that ship has sailed and he’s a Spur now.
Otherwise, I like Tom’s thinking a lot. Troy Daniels would offer another nice shooting boost if the Hornets decided not to match an offer, and I definitely think there’s a chance for a Summer League/training camp player to make the team this year.
Who are we fooling, though? One of the slots definitely belongs to Steve Novak.
RF: I’ve yet to really endear myself fully in complete knowledge of the intricacies of cap-ology, but looking through the list of guys who are still available, if the Bucks are planning on moving on from Monroe to open up space, I wouldn’t mind them seeing what Portland Trail Blazers forward Mo Harkless is looking for.
Harkless is an intriguing guy who can play the three and still has plenty of development time ahead of him at the ripe age of 23.
Outside of that, just finding a couple of young journeymen looking for a chance to break through would be fine enough by me!
TWindisch: Maybe this answer doesn’t really count, but I’d love to see the Bucks get Miles Plumlee back on a fair deal. Apparently he’s got some suitors from other teams in free agency, but I feel like Milwaukee has a good chance at keeping him if they really want to.
Jettisoning Greg Monroe would certainly make it easier for Milwaukee to go after anybody, though. $20 million is a lot more to play with than $5.5 million–that’s the difference between a backup guy and a very good role player.
JT: Aside from coming to terms with the inevitable Steve Novak signing, I’m not too sure who I’d like the Bucks to target from the players that are still available in free agency.
There are certainly some spots available that I hope they look to fill (i.e. a backup/third SF) and maybe if there are some players that stand out in Summer League, either through the Bucks or just another team, I do hope they can try to find a diamond in the rough.
TWray: If I was answering this question a couple of days ago, I probably would have said Langston Galloway or Dwayne Dedmon, but both have been signed by the New Orleans Pelicans (2/10) and San Antonio Spurs (2/6) respectively on very affordable deals.
The roster currently stands at 12, however as Adam and Jordan have said, the Steve Novak signing will just be a formality. Despite being an unrestricted free agent, he’s been at multiple Bucks events over the past couple of weeks and was even training at the practice facility yesterday. Further, assuming that the team retains restricted free agent Miles Plumlee, that only leaves one roster spot available.
If this ends up being the case, although I wouldn’t mind the Bucks bringing in someone like Troy Daniels, I think the last roster spot should be left open for a young prospect who impresses the coaching staff and front office during Summer League and/or training camp.
Next: Should Plumlee Be Re-Signed?