In the third edition of our new staff roundtable series, we share our opinions on the free agency decisions that remain for the Milwaukee Bucks and the team’s moves so far.
In the third edition of our new staff roundtable series, we share our thoughts on the Bucks free agency moves and potential trade options before taking a broader look at some of the best and worst free agency deals from around the league.
With the July moratorium lifted and the first week of free agency behind us, the Milwaukee Bucks have been fairly active on the open market, primarily looking to add depth to the rotation, address key defensive concerns and bolster the apparent lack of three-point shooting from last season.
In last week’s roundtable, we discussed a number of possible free agency options the front office should be targeting. Whilst the majority of names we suggested didn’t receive much rumored interest from the Bucks, we did explore Matthew Dellavedova’s fit with the team at length before he ultimately signed a 4 year, $38.5 million contract with Milwaukee after a sign-and-trade agreement was completed with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
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This week we’ll share our general thoughts on Milwaukee’s arrivals and departures in free agency before exploring options regarding Miles Plumlee’s restricted free agency and Greg Monroe’s position on the trade block.
To do so, I was joined by site editor-in-chief Adam McGee, managing editor Ti Windisch and staff writers Jordan Treske, Riley Feldmann and Thomas Pheister for the third instalment of our new weekly ‘The Buck Stops Here’ roundtable.
To conclude, the conversation will take a broader focus on free agency as we each name the contracts we think have been the best signings, largest overpays and the biggest steals from around the league.
Read on to hear all of our answers!
As always, lets us hear your thoughts and feedback. Comment below or send us a tweet at @BehindTheBucks.
Next: Thoughts On Additions/Subtractions
The Bucks have been fairly active during free agency, most notably with the acquisitions of Matthew Dellavedova and Mirza Teletovic. On the other hand, the team has also said goodbye to a number of players. What are your general thoughts regarding Milwaukee’s arrivals and departures?
Tom Pheister (@BucksPhanTom): Obviously, with the departures outnumbering the arrivals, my first thought is to wonder what will be the next move. Who else will they be bringing in?
Secondly, the arrivals thus far do seem to point towards a commitment to Giannis as the primary playmaker, which is quite an exciting thing to see. It seems that all of us at BTBP have been talking about the Bucks need for shooting forever, and the Bucks are starting to find role players who will help keep defenses honest. The shots will be there for Delly and Telly, and history shows that they should be able to knock them down.
Also, as a side note, I do want to wish all the guys leaving the Bucks well, especially O.J. Mayo. Addiction can be a killer, and I sincerely hope he is able to get the help he needs to get healthy.
Adam McGee (@AdamMcGee11): The last couple of moves will definitely be important, but I’m thrilled with what they’ve done so far.
With the rising cap there has arguably never been a summer that could be more potentially damaging to a team’s long term cap outlook than this one. So far not only have the Bucks made good value deals that will be an asset on the team and tradable if things don’t work out, but they’ve also picked up proven quality role players.
Bayless will be missed, but in terms of production the Bucks got very little from the rest of this summer’s departures. Delly and Telly should be real role players and that will be a big boost to the quality of depth in Milwaukee.
Riley Feldmann (@RileyFeldmann): I certainly came into this free agency for Milwaukee expecting a lot of the guys listed to be coming back. Mayo and Vasquez may have been on the outs anyhow, but I was surprised to see Bayless, Inglis, and JOB depart in a pretty quick succession. One would’ve worried initially about a drop in shooting ability without Bayless, but Teletovic and Dellavadova should fill in perfectly.
On the whole, however, I think it has been an excellent free agency period. They didn’t shoot themselves in the foot for the long-term, they filled roles and needs at reasonable rates, and they’ve left themselves with enough roster spots to be flexible in trying to acquire other guys through trades or if anyone from the Summer League roster shows enough to earn a spot on the team.
Ti Windisch (@TiWindisch): I love Milwaukee’s free agency signings thus far. As our own John Heffernon wrote earlier this week, the shooters Milwaukee has brought in are better than the ones the Bucks have lost.
Maybe the most thrilling part for me has been that the Bucks have yet to sign an overpriced free agent. I was terrified they would go after Dwight Howard or Dwyane Wade and actually land them on a ridiculously expensive/long deal. Both of those guys have landed in other cities, and the touches will still be there for Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Jordan Treske (@JordanTreske): The offseason for the Bucks may not have the big free agent splash like last year, but to me, the moves they’ve made so far have been the ones I’ve wanted to see, especially coming out of last season. On their own, both Mirza Teletovic and Matthew Dellavedova don’t make the Bucks a better team, but they’re the right pieces to put around the team’s current core of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton and Jabari Parker.
As far as the departing Bucks players go, I think things ran their course with all five players. I will say I was a little surprised that there was no interest in bringing back Jerryd Bayless, especially considering his ties with Kidd and his growth as a shooter this season, but the moves they’ve made through the draft and free agency were probably hints that both sides would be moving on.
Tim Wray (@TRW24): Realistically speaking, I don’t think the Bucks could have played free agency much better in a climate where long-term salary cap management has reached such unprecedented importance, as Adam mentioned. Like Ti, I was afraid that the Bucks were going to overpay a high profile free agent, subsequently creating salary cap issues down the line when the front office presumably has Giannis and Jabari tied up with long-term contract extensions at the max.
Instead, Milwaukee has given sensible contracts to affordable role players who address the team’s key weaknesses and add vital depth to the rotation. With Dellavedova, as Tom raised, the Bucks get almost the ideal point guard to play an off-ball role next to Point Giannis, who is going to give the team scrappy defense and solid three-point shooting, especially in catch and shoot situations. As for Teletovic, Milwaukee gets a three-point flamethrower who will definitely help the Bucks more effectively space the floor at power forward. To put into context just how much this could evolve the Bucks offense, Mirza made 181 three’s last season despite playing only 21 minutes per game for the Suns. Had he done that for the Bucks, it would have been the 4th highest total in franchise history behind only Ray Allen and Michael Redd, who both played at least 800 more minutes than Telly in those seasons.
Turning to the departures, I thought Bayless was a very strong chance to be re-signed after he was clearly Milwaukee’s best veteran guard last season, starting a handful of games and shooting almost 44 percent from deep. However, like everyone has acknowledged, in terms of production, the Bucks additions this summer through the draft and free agency should outweigh what the team is losing. O.J. Mayo’s drug violation is unfortunate, but ultimately his on-court output fell well below what he was expected to provide. The same can probably be said for Greivis Vasquez, although he was injured for most of last season. Sadly, this is the end for Johnny O’Bryant, the Milwaukee Bucks franchise leader in three-point percentage, but he and Damien Inglis offered very little, consequently making them easily replaceable.
Next: Remaining Free Agent Targets
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?
The Bucks have extended a qualifying offer to Miles Plumlee, making him a restricted free agent. Should Milwaukee re-sign him? If so, how much do you believe the front office should offer him and/or how high should they go to match a potential offer sheet that he signs with another team?
TP: I really don’t have any strong feelings about Miles Plumlee’s future at all. If he returns, OK. If not, OK. I think in either case, Plumlee’s greatest contribution to the organization has been to point them towards the type of center that fits with this team; namely an active, athletic center who doesn’t need the ball dumped in to him a lot to be effective.
Therefore, I think the only real misstep would be to overpay him. I think if Plumlee is offered John Henson money, the Bucks should not match.
AM: I think Plumlee is important only because he acts as a safety blanket. As Tom said, he laid out the road map for the Bucks in terms of finding an ideal center rather than causing an end to the search for that player.
I’d like him to be re-signed if only to know that there’s a route to them lining up with that kind of center on the floor next year, as without him I’m really not sure what’s left.
Plus, if he leaves do they really move Monroe and look to pick up two centers off the scrap pile? Festus Ezeli‘s deal makes a price on this one tough to view as value, but anything close to $10 million may still be worthwhile considering the alternatives. It’s a tough decision.
RF: I’m going into this assuming Monroe is gone and that our current Center rotation consists of John Henson and… a slight southwesterly breeze.
If that is the case, I believe it is a necessity that the Bucks take a serious look at bringing Miles back. He had a wonderful second half of the season and brings all the energy and athleticism you need out of your bench big. His stats aren’t going to impress or blow you away, but for his role and expectations, he’s damn near perfect.
Of course, once the dust settles the market for centers may be more devoid than we think. If a borderline playoff team gets desperate and thinks Plumlee could seriously augment their odds over the 82-game season, he may get a big offer sheet. I certainly wouldn’t be matching that; he brings a lot to the table, but not something that can’t be replicated with someone else.
TWindisch: Miles Plumlee is certainly replaceable, but the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. Keeping him around would be ideal, considering he already has the chemistry down with the young Milwaukee Bucks on the floor.
That being said, I wouldn’t want to pay much more than $7-$8 million per year to keep him around. Replacing him would be less ideal than keeping him, but price has to be taken into account, especially with Giannis needing to be extended fairly soon.
JT: I’ve long wrestled with what the Bucks should do with Plumlee. On one hand, he brings the type of energy and athleticism that the Bucks need from a center next to Jabari and Giannis. On the other hand, I think, while his play in the second half got the recognition it deserved, it was exaggerated by how miserable of a fit Greg Monroe has been as well as John Henson’s disappointing year.
With all that said, I think I’d go as far as $7 million on either a straight offer or a possible offer sheet with Plumlee. Plumlee sure fits reasonably well alongside the Bucks foundation, but I’m very skeptical whether he’s a long-term solution at center for the Bucks.
TWray: I think we all agree that Miles Plumlee’s low-usage, high energy game is the right type of fit for the Bucks’ “Point Giannis” offense. After regularly registering DNP-CDs during the first half of the season, it was great to see him finally get regular minutes and contribute to the team once the ball was put in Giannis’ hands after the All-Star break. Whilst I’m with Jordan that he isn’t the long-term solution as a starter, I think he can continue to play a meaningful role off the bench as the second center in the depth chart. Like Ti said, he has fantastic chemistry with the Bucks young core and despite his lack of touches, is still fairly effective, as Riley mentioned.
With the free agent market for big men thinning out, a number of teams may get desperate. With this in mind, if Plumlee were to sign an offer sheet with another team, I think the absolute highest I’d go is $9 million. However, ideally the Bucks aren’t forced to pay that much and manage to retain him for somewhere in-between $6 and $8 million per year, especially considering Festus Ezeli was signed by Portland for just over $7 million per season.
Next: Gauging Returns On Greg Monroe
Once again, it has been widely rumoured that Greg Monroe is on the trade block. Should the Bucks trade him? If so, where are some realistic destinations and what sort of return should Milwaukee be looking for?
AM: They should have done it at the deadline. It seems like there’s virtually no market for him now following on from a free agency packed with bigs and a couple of high profile centers being dumped for nothing too.
I’d take close to anything as I’m not sure the Bucks will improve if he still gets meaningful minutes. It’s not good for the Bucks, and it’s certainly no longer good for Moose. A clean break seems wise, but unless the Pelicans are still hoping for a hometown reunion I’m not sure how it happens.
TP: I do think the Bucks should trade Monroe, but finding a destination certainly seems to be the tricky part. The biggest reason for this seems to be the uncertainty about what Monroe’s value actually is.
Monroe is a really good basketball player, just not a good fit with the style of play that the Bucks are developing. This fit issue has, sadly, reduced his value around the league. Also, fewer teams are interested in featuring a post scorer. With that said, there must be teams where Monroe would fit better than he does in Milwaukee. Right?
RF: Remember the rosy days when the whole of the Bucks fanbase came together to hold hands and sing songs of praise around the surprise signing of Greg Monroe? Those were the days.
I think he should be traded, but I’m not sure if that will be happening before the season gets underway. Like the other guys said, at this point in time it just doesn’t look like a strong market for a guy of his type (i.e. somewhat highly paid offensive-minded center). I’d probably hold pat until some players around the league go down with injuries and put a couple of GMs on the hot seat and into desperation mode.
He may have not nearly as much value as he had last season, but I have to believe the Bucks can still get a semi-decent return.
TWindisch: Honestly, I’m more and more disappointed each day Greg Monroe remains on the Milwaukee Bucks. It’s just dumb at this point. He doesn’t fit on the Bucks at all, and the partnership hasn’t worked well for either side. Time to end it.
Even if Milwaukee just gets a mediocre pick or some role player, trading Monroe now is just lifting a massive weight off of Milwaukee’s back. And off of their books. He needs to go, for the Bucks sake and for his.
JT: I think all Bucks fans feel that Monroe should be traded, so that obviously makes the second question all the more significant and tougher to sort out. The teams that were in need of a big man (like Dallas, Charlotte and Portland) have quickly filled their respective big men holes since the beginning of free agency and have theoretically bowed out of the Greg Monroe sweepstakes as a result.
At this point, I think I’d welcome any offer for Monroe. If it’s just a future lottery protected pick, I’d trade him. If it’s just a solid role player on a reasonable contract, I’d trade him. I think the subtraction of Monroe, by itself, is a clear addition for the Bucks and finally clears the biggest cloud hanging over them right now.
Of course, I say all of this while being resigned to the fact that I think it’s very likely Monroe stays, but a man can dream, right?
TWray: As long as the front office won’t trade him for a Top-55 protected second round pick, I’m in.
The expanding salary cap doesn’t make a one year rental on Greg Monroe at $17 million per year too unattractive, especially when Timofey Mozgov and Ian Mahinmi are both set to make $16 million next season, however as Adam said, there just isn’t enough of a market for him anymore. As Tom pointed out, the NBA is steadily trending away from post scorers like Monroe, which has seriously impacted his trade value. Further, teams like Charlotte or Dallas who may have been possible destinations for Monroe, were able to find more cap friendly alternatives in free agency.
I’m definitely with Jordan when he says that Monroe is at the point with the Bucks where it’s addition by subtraction. We saw the results last season when he was benched, he just doesn’t fit with the timeline and direction that Milwaukee is heading. As such, I’d be much more willing to part with him for a lot less than I would have five months ago at the trade deadline. Unfortunately, the odds are that the Bucks will be stuck with him for the rest of the season and I don’t think too many teams will be desperate enough to trade for him during the year, especially because he can opt-out of his contract next summer.
Next: Overall Free Agency Outlook So Far
In your opinion, which contracts have been the best signings, largest overpays and the biggest steals of NBA free agency so far?
AM: Considering my affinity to the Hawks it kills me to say it, but Al Horford is the best signing. Obviously, Kevin Durant could help the Warriors to become an even more unstoppable juggernaut, but there’s only so much better they can get. Horford could provide a big bump to Boston’s win total.
NOTHING EASY!! My hero Zaza Pachulia is easily the steal of free agency and nothing makes me happier than the chance that not only is he going to start on a potentially all-time great team, but that he might get a ring at the end of the journey too.
I feel like the largest overpay or maybe more accurately the worst signing belongs to most of the guys signed by the Rockets. I plan on never being unlucky enough to catch Rockets games next season.
RF: Best: I loathe the Warriors and the hype-machine that they have become. I’ve personally been affected by a slew of bandwagon fans emerging within my own tight-knit friend group. Yet, even after all that, one still has to imagine grabbing KD from OKC to be the best deal so far. Yes, he’ll be making plenty of bucks, and he does restrict their cap a bit, but he’s still a future HOF’er.
Steal: Jared Dudley heading back to Phoenix will be underrated, but I think he will provide for that very young roster exactly what he brought to Milwaukee two seasons ago. The Suns are in a mini-rebuild and will probably be looking to compete in the near future, and Dudley will be the perfect guy to mentor that squad to the postseason.
Overpay: I’m torn between Harrison Barnes making max money and Ryan Anderson getting 4-years/$80 million. Both of those deals are instantly not nearly worth their price tag number, and Anderson’s especially will only get horrendously worse with time.
TP: Best: The best signing in terms of impact on wins and losses probably is Al Horford to the Celtics. Just having him replace Jared Sullinger on PNR defensive alone should net the Celtics a few wins.
Steal: Both Dudley and Zaza are fine choices for steal of free agency thus far, but I am going to avoid former Bucks in favor of a current one; namely Mirza Teletovic. He brings a top notch skill that the Bucks were desperately in need of, yet they were not forced to pay a ridiculous amount of money to get him.
Overpay: While I certainly agree with Adam when it comes to the unwatchable nature of the Rockets, I think there were even worse signings this week. The one that really gets me is the Mavericks giving Harris Barnes a max contract. I just have not seen any evidence that he can produce consistently.
TWindisch: For me, the best signing was Al Horford in Boston. Horford takes the Celtics from a fun, underachieving team to a legit top seed in the East.
The biggest overpay was Ryan Anderson getting EIGHTY MILLION DOLLARS from the Houston “We Have A Problem” Rockets. Seriously. $80 million.
The biggest steal might be Al Jefferson to the Pacers on a three-year, $30 million deal. That’s great value for a legit low-post threat.
JT: I’m sure you can go with many different answers for all three questions, but I’ll try to limit them to one a piece.
I thought the best free agent signing of free agency so far has been Zaza Pachulia signing with the Warriors. Considering the moves they made in order to land Kevin Durant, I think he’s a solid replacement for Andrew Bogut and honestly could have fetched eight-digit offers from another team.
I think the largest overpay of free agency so far has been Jamal Crawford. Maybe it was the fact that the Clippers original offer to Crawford surfaced, but three years, $42 million is a lot to pay to Crawford, who seems to have lost his effectiveness as a sixth man.
I think the biggest steal so far might be Langston Galloway signing with the New Orleans Pelicans. I actually thought Galloway would have been a good target for the Bucks in free agency, but I think he’ll fit be a good fit for the Pelicans and the Knicks’ decision to suddenly renounce him this week could eventually come back to bite them.
TWray: Apologies for my indecisiveness, but free agency has been absolute madness, and I love it. I always find it hard to narrow these sorts of choices down to just one specific player, so I’ve offered a few selections for each question.
In terms of the best signing, evidently you have to acknowledge Kevin Durant to Golden State. It’s one of the biggest moves in NBA history and although it doesn’t shift the balance of power in the NBA per se, adding a former league MVP in his prime to the greatest regular season team of all-time is just plain ridiculous. However, I’m with the majority here, Al Horford to Boston transforms the Celtics into a serious contender in the East, especially within the next couple of seasons as their army of draft picks begin to develop and/or if Danny Ainge decides to cash in their assets to put pieces alongside him.
Obviously the expanding cap has facilitated a number of huge contracts during free agency. Probably the worst overpay has been giving $20 million to Ryan Anderson and $14 million to a 36-year-old Jamal Crawford, which when combined with the $11.7 million and $6 million given to Austin Rivers and Wesley Johnson respectively, looks awful for the Clippers. Honorable mentions also have to go to Timofey Mozgov for his $16 million deal with the Lakers, Jeff Green, who fleeced Orlando for $15 million, and Harrison Barnes, who is yet to convince me that he’s a max contract player worth $23.75 million. I’m sure I’ve missed more than a few bad ones too.
There’s also been a number of really nice steals. I don’t think there’s any denying that Zaza Pachulia for $2.9 million is probably the biggest, considering his play last season for Dallas and this summer’s free agency climate, like Jordan said, he should have been commanding offers upwards of $10 million. My other choice would be Festus Ezeli, who got roughly $7.5 million from Portland, mostly because it’s just insane to think that Mozgov is worth more than twice as much per year. My Honorable mentions also go to Langston Galloway to New Orleans for $5 million, Seth Curry to the Mavs for $3 million and Dwayne Dedmon to San Antonio for $3 million.
Next: Milwaukee Bucks: Meet The Summer League Roster
Check back next week when we’ll reconvene for another roundtable!