Milwaukee Bucks Rumors: Bucks will waste no time with Tony Snell

The Milwaukee Bucks will reportedly look to come to terms on a deal with restricted free agent Tony Snell soon after free agency opens on Saturday morning.

It’s no secret that top priority for the Milwaukee Bucks when free agency opens is going to be the future of their own restricted free agent Tony Snell.

Snell became a key component of Milwaukee’s starting lineup last season, and that seems likely to continue with Jabari Parker ruled out through injury for the first half of the upcoming season at least.

The 25-year-old wing is likely to attract some interest from around the league on the back of a breakout season in Milwaukee, and as such, with the Bucks intent on keeping him, it seems as if they won’t be content to just wait around and match offer sheets from elsewhere.

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According to a report from Marc Stein of ESPN, Snell could well be fielding a proactive offer from the Bucks very soon after free agency opens in the early hours of Saturday morning:

"“Sources told ESPN that the Bucks plan to move aggressively to come to terms with Snell once free agency begins Saturday at 12:01 a.m. ET. Deals can’t officially be signed until a leaguewide moratorium is lifted July 6.”"

As I noted in predicting an aggressive move of this ilk on the free agency edition of our Win In 6 Podcast, the Bucks have a track record of making moves to secure their restricted free agents ahead of the market.

Most successfully, Khris Middleton re-signed as one of the first completed deals of free agency (just three hours in) back in 2015 when he could have fielded offers from other teams.

Although the deal didn’t happen quite as immediately, last summer’s now infamous Miles Plumlee contract was also agreed upon without waiting to see what his market value would be when and if offer sheets arrived.

In this case, it’s likely that the Bucks hope to capitalize on any mutual good feeling between themselves and Snell in locking in a deal while their rivals are tied up with higher profile targets.

Next: Milwaukee Bucks Rumors: Bucks likely sellers to avoid luxury tax

This could lead to a deal that comes in lower than what they’d have to match to keep the former New Mexico Lobo, but as the Bucks will know too well, they’ll also have to be wary of the overpay.