Milwaukee Bucks: Will any outgoing free agents return next season?

Brandon Jennings

Brandon Jennings’ return to the Bucks was a fun and heart-warming story. There’s no questioning what Jennings means to an entire generation of younger Bucks fans.

What can certainly be questioned is the reasoning in signing him in 2018. Jennings is not only battling Father Time, but the post-achilles tear career trajectory that is very rarely overcome in the NBA.

Jennings’ first game back certainly gave some form of hope that he could be one of those rare success stories, and to do so back in front of the fans who love him, but the positives of that 16 points, 12 assists showing against the Grizzlies quickly wore off when much more underwhelming play returned to the fore.

Jennings wasn’t just mediocre over the course of the season, as sadly his play was truly below the level that any NBA team is realistically hoping to receive from a player on their roster.

This isn’t a question of talent, attitude or desire, as much as it’s an example of how quickly the NBA evolves, how competitive the league is, and how difficult certain injuries can be to put behind a player.

Jennings’ guarantee date is July 1, meaning the Bucks will have to waive him by then to prevent his salary becoming a more significant consideration for the year ahead. With that in mind, he seems like a certainty to hit unrestricted free agency with everyone else on that date.

Likelihood to return: 1/10. I won’t say it’s impossible, because this is the Bucks and weird things can and will happen. That’s exactly how I’m in a situation of discussing Brandon Jennings’ Bucks guarantee date in 2018. The addition of DiVincenzo makes it no more likely the Bucks bring back their one-time star, and he may be hard pushed to find a landing spot elsewhere in the NBA. Even if it’s not in Milwaukee, Bucks fans will certainly be rooting for him to get another shot somewhere.

Next: Milwaukee Bucks reportedly considering Enes Kanter in free agency

For more on the Bucks’ free agency outlook, stick with us at Behind the Buck Pass throughout the coming days and weeks.