Milwaukee Bucks: Grades for Ersan Ilyasova’s three-year, $21 million deal

Overall Grade

Ilyasova fits a clear and obvious need in Milwaukee, will fill a well-defined role that should help to improve the team, and signed a deal that won’t do anything to negatively impact the Bucks’ long-term flexibility and options.

This is not a deal worth panicking or complaining about, but it’s worth noting that it’s not a deal that will get people excited either.

That doesn’t automatically make for a damning assessment, but it could do in time. Ilyasova will likely help the Bucks to improve, but this isn’t a move that offers any kind of upside or necessarily does anything that will help the team in the longer term when a window of contention may eventually be plausible.

There’s no sign of searching for untapped potential here, there’s no evidence of mining for the kind of unpolished diamond that could ultimately become incredibly valuable, and in essence it’s all very safe.

Considering the problems of the last couple of years, if that translates to a product that’s more consistently positive on the court next season and leads to internal development overall, that will be a victory for the Bucks.

But if they’re serious about keeping Antetokounmpo long-term and being a meaningful challenger for a championship, the day has to come where these moves get a little bit more creative.

Ilyasova is a good player, and this deal is far from an egregious overpay, but I’d bet against there being any surprising competitive advantage to be found in adding a 31-year-old veteran.

Next: Milwaukee Bucks: What impact does Jabari Parker’s future have on the present and future?

This a good short-term move, which is uninspiring in the medium term, and does nothing to help in the long-term. Maybe considering their cap situation this summer, that’s all the Bucks were likely to achieve.

Overall Grade: C+