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

Although it came as a surprise, Ersan Ilyasova‘s deal with the Milwaukee Bucks isn’t difficult to make sense of. How does it grade overall, though?

Considering the uncertainty around Jabari Parker‘s future and the limited flexibility at their disposal, the Milwaukee Bucks were not expected to be among the first teams to make a move when NBA Free Agency opened at 12.01am ET on July 1.

In the end, that’s exactly what happened, though, as for the second year in a row ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski had early Bucks news. On this occasion, it was Ersan Ilyasova agreeing to a deal to return to Milwaukee.

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Ilyasova, of course, was drafted by the Bucks back in 2005, and this will mark his third stint with the franchise.

Having worn out his welcome somewhat in his last spell due to a then costly contract and perhaps an element of over-familiarity, Ilyasova has impressed at multiple stops around the league in the years since, and undoubtedly improved the perception of his game throughout the NBA.

In this reunion with the Bucks, Ilyasova will likely have a much more clearly defined role in the second unit than he had previously, and he certainly will have an opportunity to fill a vital role for Milwaukee.

Is this a good deal for the Bucks, though? Let’s consider the value of the deal, the role Ilyasova will likely play and how he fits with the teams current plans to try and find out.

Value

Although Ilyasova finished last season on a veteran minimum deal with the 76ers having been bought out by the Hawks earlier in the season, this deal is very much in line with what Ilyasova has been earning for the majority of his NBA career.

Since returning to the NBA in Europe in 2009, Ilyasova has averaged an annual salary of just under $6.7 million, falling very much in line with his new three-year, $21 million deal.

An important note on those initially reported terms came from ESPN’s Zach Lowe, who suggests the final year of that contract will be non-guaranteed.

In terms of guaranteed money, that leaves Ilyasova earning $13.6 million over two years.

The timing of that non-guaranteed year is important too, as the Bucks could opt to have Ilyasova’s salary come off the Bucks in 2020 alongside costly deals for role players such as John Henson, Matthew Dellavedova, and potentially even Tony Snell who will have a player option decision that summer.

In other words, this isn’t a deal that does anything to damage Milwaukee’s chance of building meaningful cap space in the relative near future, leaving the potential for a marquee signing in the summer before Giannis Antetokounmpo next hits free agency.

At this early juncture of free agency it’s difficult to get a truly accurate handle on where Ilyasova’s contract sits on the wider scale of value.

Paying a meaningful chunk of the mid-level for a 31-year-old backup does raise eyebrows, but Ilyasova offers valuable skill-sets on both ends at a position of great need on Milwaukee’s depth chart.

The likely debate will center around whether the Bucks acting so quickly priced themselves out of a potential bargain. That’s certainly possible considering there will be players left to settle for discount deals as free agency rumbles on, but if Ilyasova was the player the Bucks wanted to add, it may not have made sense to wait.

Ilyasova has a good relationship with the coaching staff in Milwaukee from their time together in Atlanta, has played alongside key Bucks players previously, filled a major role of need this offseason, will want to be in Milwaukee, and by all accounts was drawing meaningful interest from other teams too.

Ilyasova became an incredibly valuable contributor in Philadelphia late last season, and the Bucks may have been wary of the 76ers’ cap space providing a potential offer they wouldn’t have been able to compete with for the Turk.

At this current point, it’s safe to say that Ilyasova’s deal is fine but by no means represents great value. It’s not an Ed Davis-esque bargain, but it’s not a somewhat baffling Doug McDermott deal either.

Ilyasova is an incredibly steady and proven veteran contributor, who at that price will improve a rotation that was found out to be considerably thin during the playoffs.

Role

Ilyasova will be asked to fill the role the Bucks had hoped Mirza Teletovic would be filling when they signed him back in 2016.

While the Turk doesn’t quite offer the caliber of sharpshooting Teletovic boasted, Ilyasova will be a more than capable floor spacing presence who offers a major defensive upgrade over the Bucks’ previous backup power forward.

Ilyasova’s positional defense has only grown more impressive and more highly valued since he left the Bucks in 2015, and it’s worth noting that he was one of the key cogs discarded by Milwaukee that summer which ultimately led to the league’s second best defense crumbling to become the 22nd best over the course of a year.

Unlike in his previous tenure with the Bucks, Ilyasova won’t be looked to as a starter. Instead, he’ll be asked to soak up frontcourt minutes off the bench, which is by no means an insignificant role in Milwaukee. The Bucks lacked players capable of doing that last season, which not only left them exposed in bench lineups but also left little opportunity to reduce a crippling minutes load for superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Ilyasova’s experience will allow him to slot in as a reliever of sorts for Antetokounmpo, but he may also be paired alongside the Greek in some more inventive lineups.

As ESPN’s Kevin Pelton noted in his appraisal of the deal:

"“One interesting development last season was Ilyasova playing center as part of the Philadelphia 76ers’ small lineups in Joel Embiid‘s absence, and Ilyasova-Giannis Antetokounmpo frontcourts could be potent offensively.”"

What’s guaranteed by Ilyasova’s arrival, and now secure regardless of what ultimately happens with Jabari Parker, is the Bucks will have depth and options in the frontcourt next season. That’s definitely an improvement.

Fit

Many will be quick to criticize the Bucks for a move that has uncomfortable elements of nostalgia — a discussion that wouldn’t be anywhere near as valid if not for the bizarre return of Brandon Jennings last season and the potentially even more bizarre decision to guarantee his contract for next year — and for investing in a player whose prime years are likely behind him.

What’s important to note in opposition to that, though, is there’s a new coaching staff in Milwaukee with no connection to that previous era, and their own experience with Ilyasova has made him a favorite of theirs for entirely different reasons.

Like he’s probably done in most of his landing spots over the last few years, Ilyasova endeared himself to Mike Budenholzer and his assistants in Atlanta with his intelligent play.

Speaking when the Hawks acquired Ilyasova at the trade deadline back in 2017, Budenholzer noted:

"“I think he’s a smart player, a competitive guy. He does a lot of little things. He has an edge to him. Obviously he can shoot.”"

A couple of weeks later, having had the chance to coach Ilyasova, Budenholzer made further comments on Ilyasova’s defensive value which could be incredibly relevant to his return to Milwaukee.

"“He has that high I.Q. on defense where he sees things happening a little bit quicker,” Hawks Coach Mike Budenholzer said, “and he’s willing to put his body on the line.”"

Budenholzer has made no secret of his desire to reshape the Bucks as a defensive force first and foremost, and in that respect the addition of a veteran defender who he respects, has comfort working with, and who he can perform well in his schemes makes perfect sense.

Considering their over-aggressive and frequently reckless tendencies on that end of the floor in recent years, a young Bucks roster will certainly have some bad habits to shake off, and Ilyasova would seem like an ideal candidate to help them in doing so.

In a profile focused on his defense and his famed charge-taking ability for the New York Times, Scott Cacciola detailed Ilyasova’s diligence, and perhaps laid out a Hawks’ defensive philosophy that Budenholzer may look to transfer to Milwaukee.

"“None of this happens by accident. Ilyasova studies game film and scouting reports. He knows which players tend to go to their left after they pump fake. And he knows which players are poor outside shooters, giving him the leeway to back off and bait them into driving. He can usually sense where they want to go. His job is to get there first. ‘It’s all about anticipation,’ said Ilyasova, who was traded to the Hawks in February by the Philadelphia 76ers. The Hawks use an acronym at practice: MIG, which stands for Most Important Guy. That guy is the baseline defender responsible for offering help if one of his teammates is beaten off the dribble. The coaching staff wants the players who are least likely to block shots to take charges, or at least have that mind-set. There are limits. The season is punishing enough.”"

All of that lays out a clear and obvious path for Ilyasova to contribute individually and help to build a greater cultural philosophy in Milwaukee, but there’s more to his fit too.

Ilyasova has always been a stellar rebounder — particularly on the offensive end — for his size, while his ability to knock down jump shots from mid-range and beyond the arc will certainly mesh with what Milwaukee needs from their reserve forwards.

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+