Milwaukee Bucks Rumors: Bucks reportedly interested in Ben McLemore
By Adam McGee
The Milwaukee Bucks are reportedly interested in former Sacramento Kings guard Ben McLemore.
Having re-signed Tony Snell, the Milwaukee Bucks are now right up against the luxury tax and facing up to a full roster. Judging from some of the rumblings from reporters around the league, that doesn’t mean they’re necessarily finished in adding to their just yet, though.
Although to make further deals the Bucks would have to dump both players and salary via trade or other means, they could well be exploring such options.
According to Chris Haynes of ESPN, one of the players who is currently a source of interest for the Bucks is former Sacramento Kings guard Ben McLemore.
New York and Milwaukee have inquired about the young swingman Ben McLemore, league sources tell ESPN. He's an intriguing free agent.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) July 1, 2017
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McLemore was the seventh overall pick of the 2013 NBA Draft, and at only 24 years of age could still have room to realize the potential that has yet to materialize in his formative years in the league.
The former Kansas Jayhawk became an unrestricted free agent after the Sacramento Kings decided against extending him a qualifying offer earlier this week.
For the Bucks, this is not the first indication of interest in McLemore either. Before Michael Carter-Williams was traded for Tony Snell, the Bucks reportedly offered their former point guard to Sacramento in exchange for McLemore’s services.
As James Ham of CSN California recently revealed:
"“Last year the Kings were offered Michael Carter-Williams straight up for Ben McLemore, and the Kings asked for a first round pick to go with it. For Ben McLemore.”"
The Bucks lacked depth at the shooting guard position last season, and even with Snell returning, McLemore would make for a major improvement in terms of Milwaukee’s backcourt options.
If McLemore can be picked up on a low-cost deal, he could certainly be worth taking a risk on. In that scenario, the picture in Milwaukee would likely become pretty bleak for former 17th overall pick Rashad Vaughn, who has failed to make any real impact in the NBA to date.
Next: NBA Free Agency 2017 Player Profile: Ben McLemore
If the Bucks decide to do a deal with McLemore, it could just be the start of some bigger dealings for Milwaukee too. It’s certainly a situation that will have to be monitored closely in the coming days.