Milwaukee Bucks reportedly claim DeAndre Liggins off waivers

The Milwaukee Bucks have filled their final roster spot, at least for the time being, by claiming former Cleveland Cavaliers wing DeAndre Liggins off waivers.

The battle for the Milwaukee Bucks’ final roster spot has been filled with twists and turns in recent weeks, so unsurprisingly what seems like the final move — don’t hold me to that — also fits that bill.

Having been heavily linked with interest in Richard Jefferson over the last couple of days, Bucks fans were anxiously awaiting further news at the 4pm Central deadline when he was scheduled to clear waivers.

Right on cue, there was breaking Bucks news, but rather than announcing a deal with Jefferson, the report came from Shams Charania of Yahoo! who revealed the Bucks had claimed DeAndre Liggins off waivers.

Further news came from Marc Stein of the New York Times, who provided an update on Jefferson’s free agent status and clarification on the nature of DeAndre Liggins’ contract with the Bucks.

In other words, the Bucks still have the freedom to make further moves, potentially leaving Liggins off the roster, but at the very least they know that they’ve acquired a skilled rotation wing as security.

Although Liggins, 29, has been around the league on and off since getting drafted in 2011, many NBA fans may not be overly familiar with him as he hasn’t always stuck with teams for very long.

Liggins had his most stable season to date last year when he played in 61 games for the Cleveland Cavaliers, but even that season ended with him playing a game for the Dallas Mavericks.

Over the course of the offseason, Liggins’ roller-coaster journey saw him traded to Houston, then traded on to the Clippers, and then traded to the Atlanta Hawks. Liggins was waived by the Hawks, before being picked up by the Heat. Liggins played for the Heat in preseason, before ultimately being waived and ending up claimed by the Bucks.

Although Liggins has yet to find the kind of continuity to allow him to thrive in the NBA, he has a stellar résumé from years spent playing in the D-League (now G League).

Liggins was named D-League Defensive Player of the Year in 2014 and 2016, years in which he also made the league’s All-Star game. Liggins was a driving force of the Sioux Falls Skyforce team who won a D-League championship in 2016 too.

In an interview with David Aldridge of NBA.com back in January, Liggins offered up his own thoughts on why he’s been forced to fight for opportunities in the D-League and overseas throughout his career.

"“It wasn’t about what I could do talent wise, or defensively. It was about my character. I had to get my character in order. I always thought, it’s over for me. I’m gonna have to just go overseas, just make as much money as I could, and have a solid career overseas.”"

The article shows that at a minimum, Liggins has developed a self-awareness that his actions didn’t indicate he had in years past, and that at the very least he was trying to improve on some of the terrible deeds he had committed. As Aldridge noted:

"“For three years, Liggins lived on basketball’s periphery, a former second-round pick of the Orlando Magic in 2011 who was radioactive around the league following his role in an especially heinous domestic violence crime against his then girlfriend, Jasmine Horton, in 2013, while he was a reserve for the Thunder. Released by Oklahoma City the day after he was charged with several felony counts, including kidnapping and domestic assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, Liggins ultimately reached a plea deal with local prosecutors, pleading guilty to a single count of domestic abuse. He escaped jail time by agreeing to make a donation to a local diversion program.”"

Aldridge’s profile of Liggins is a must-read for any Bucks fans looking to get a better sense of what Liggins can bring to the team, but also of the off the court problems that he has hopefully left behind him. It includes detailed notes from then Cleveland Cavaliers general manager David Griffin on the processes and precautions the team took into account before bringing him onboard, as well as highlighting the domestic violence classes and NBA counselling that he attends.

In terms of basketball, it also includes a telling quote from LeBron James that sums up what Liggins will offer:

"“He picks up 96 feet — and the court is only 94,” James says of Liggins. “That’s what he does.”"

If he does stick around with the Bucks, Liggins will provide relentless, high pressure defense, high activity, and hopefully a solid shooting touch. Although he’s only a 34.8 percent career three-point shooter in the NBA, Liggins has made 38 percent of his 445 three-point attempts in the G League.

Next: Win In 6 Podcast #151: Making sense of roster cuts, preseason finale

Now, the big question for Bucks fans is whether trades are on the horizon to make way for Jefferson, or whether the team is satisfied with bringing Liggins in as their final move. With the season starting on Wednesday for Milwaukee, we’ll know sooner rather than later.