NBA Free Agency 2017 Player Profile: Ersan Ilyasova
By Ti Windisch
The Milwaukee Bucks lost a great one when the team traded living legend Ersan Ilyasova a few years back. They can right that wrong in NBA free agency this summer.
Okay, so maybe Ersan Ilyasova isn’t technically a Milwaukee Bucks legend. The constantly-underrated Turkish power forward has never been an All-Star. He’s actually never scored 14 or more points per game across an entire season before.
He is going to be available in NBA free agency, though, and there’s a chance he might fit well with the Bucks after being traded away two years ago during the offseason. Ersan has gotten older in that time, although his game seems to be aging gracefully.
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That actually makes a lot of sense. Ersan was a stretch four before being a stretch four was cool — now his floor-spacing ways are recognized for the positive that they are. Ilyasova has been busy in the last two seasons, registering time with the Detroit Pistons, Orlando Magic, Oklahoma City Thunder, Philadelphia 76ers and Atlanta Hawks.
Is it really time for Ilyasova to return to Milwaukee, the team that drafted him way back in 2005? A lot can change in 12 years, but Ersan taking charges and hitting threes has been pretty much constant this whole time.
To see if an Ilyasova-Bucks reunion makes sense, we’ll look through his strengths, weaknesses, potential salary and fit with the new-look Milwaukee Bucks. Maybe Ersan is a hidden gem in the 2017 NBA free agency class.