The Buck Stops Here Roundtable #6: Extensions, Injuries and Trades
By Tim Wray
In the latest edition of our staff roundtable series, we reflect on Giannis’ contract extension, Middleton’s hamstring injury and the Beasley trade, among other Milwaukee Bucks issues.
Last week was an emotional rollercoaster ride for Milwaukee Bucks fans. From the highs of Giannis Antetokounmpo’s contract extension to the lows of Khris Middleton’s hamstring injury, it had it all and raised plenty of questions heading into training camp.
To answer some of these, I was joined by site editor-in-chief Adam McGee and staff writers John Heffernon, Rohan Katti and Jordan Treske to discuss all things Milwaukee Bucks basketball for the sixth instalment of ‘The Buck Stops Here’ roundtable.
Specifically, we discussed the implications of Giannis’ four-year, $100 million contract extension and how it affects Jabari Parker’s negotiations next summer, the team’s financial flexibility and the prospect of avoiding the luxury tax in 2018.
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Subsequently, the focus shifts to Khris Middleton’s left hamstring injury which requires surgery and has him sidelined for the next six months. Here we share our thoughts on how much the loss of Middleton derails the Bucks expectations for next season before naming our preferred replacement starter at the shooting guard position.
Further, we give our views on the acquisition of Michael Beasley from the Houston Rockets in exchange for Tyler Ennis and question whether Milwaukee should make any more personnel moves to help cover Middleton’s absence for a majority of next season.
We finish with our predictions of the Milwaukee Bucks record for next season after the over/under line was adjusted to 37.5 wins (previously 39.5) following Middleton’s injury.
Read on to hear all of our answers!
As always, lets us hear your thoughts and feedback. Drop a comment below or shoot us a tweet at @BehindTheBucks.