Milwaukee Bucks reportedly extend qualifying offer to Tony Snell
By Adam McGee
Although it was mostly a formality, the Milwaukee Bucks have reportedly extended a qualifying offer to Tony Snell making him a restricted free agent.
Unless the Milwaukee Bucks work their way into a salary-dumping trade, the biggest story of the team’s free agency is going to be Tony Snell’s future. As such, reports suggest the Bucks’ pursuit of retaining Snell is now officially underway.
Heading into free agency, the Bucks hold full bird rights for Snell, meaning they can exceed the cap to re-sign him, and they also have the ability to control their own destiny involving their prized outgoing player.
In order to make Snell a restricted free agent, the Bucks are obliged to extend a qualifying offer to the 25-year-old, and according to reports, that’s a formality they have now delivered on.
Per RealGM’s Keith Smith on Twitter:
The Milwaukee Bucks have tendered a qualifying offer to Tony Snell. He will now be a restricted free agent.
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) June 28, 2017
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According to HoopsHype, Snell’s qualifying offer is valued at $3,393,818.
This value would only come to be relevant in the highly unlikely event if Snell was to decide to sign it to ensure that he gets to experience unrestricted free agency 12 months from now. With a major payday awaiting the former New Mexico Lobo this summer, that is not a route he’s going to take.
In fact, that option is very rarely taken in the NBA, with the most notable recent example being Greg Monroe‘s decision to do just that with the Pistons, before signing with Milwaukee the following summer.
For Snell, coming off the back of a career-year where he became a key contributor for the Bucks, he’s likely to field multiple offers from around the NBA, while Milwaukee puts up a strong fight to bring him back.
With Jabari Parker sidelined following knee surgery up until the All-Star break, Snell should have a chance to play a similarly meaningful role if he returns to Milwaukee for the coming season.
According to a report earlier in the month from The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Snell can be expected earn up to as high as $13 million per year by the time free agency is done.
This significant pay-rise for Snell will be a combination of a number of factors, including his strong play last season, the value of his skill-set in today’s NBA, and the intention of teams around the league to test the Bucks’ resolve as they sit dangerously near the luxury tax.
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The hope for the Bucks will be that Snell won’t even wait on offers from elsewhere and will quickly agree to a deal, much like Khris Middleton did in 2015, but the reality could be an anxious wait as offers come in from teams around the league.