Milwaukee Bucks: 10 potential mid-level exception NBA free agency targets

Avery Bradley

Avery Bradley has had a strange and eventful couple of years. Having been a central focus of the Celtics’ plans for a number of years and one of the league’s very best 3-and-D players, there were eyebrows raised when Bradley was offloaded to Detroit to clear space for Gordon Hayward last summer.

At the time, many suggested the move may have been made with the foresight of it being close to impossible to retain Bradley when he reached this point and hit free agency again, but other possible reasons may have surfaced in the time since.

Bradley’s pay day isn’t likely to be anywhere near as lucrative as it was expected to be at this time 12 months ago, as his play has fallen off significantly on the defensive end in particular, and health concerns have even emerged.

Bradley didn’t last long in Detroit as he was sent to the Clippers as a part of the Blake Griffin trade, and his season came to a close in mid-March when he was forced to have surgery. In short, that was the conclusion of what had been a strange period of uncertainty about his sports hernia injury.

Yet to turn 28, if Bradley can return from the injury playing like his old self, there’s the potential for him to be a steal this summer. The problem is there’s no way of knowing if that’s even in play.

An elite perimeter defender, who knocks down three-pointers at a high rate and can even create for teammates is incredibly valuable, but signing Bradley, particularly on a deal greater than one year would involve a certain amount of gambling for the Bucks or any other playoff team.