Milwaukee Bucks: Grades for Thanasis Antetokounmpo’s 2-year, $3 million deal

Value

Arriving to Milwaukee on a reported veteran minimum deal, which is all the Bucks have left to offer given their cap situation at present, there’s little reason to quibble over the price of this deal for Antetokounmpo.

The question is whether it’s the best the Bucks could have done at one of those remaining open roster spots.

Any comparison to Wesley Matthews’ deal at the same rate is unfair as that represented a legitimate bargain for the Bucks (and one that was likely predicated on Matthews’ desire to return to Wisconsin), but a look at the remaining free agents on the open market isn’t necessarily cause for inspiration.

Antetokounmpo is likely to fill an end of bench role, perhaps soaking up occasional minutes due to injury or when he makes for a suitable defensive option for a particular matchup. At the minimum, that’s fine. Realistically, it’s all that should be expected, even if Matthews and potentially Kyle Korver may end up skewing Bucks’ fans perceptions of what a minimum deal should be.

The element of the contract that really deems further exploration is the length. Minimum deals are almost always one year long. That allows the team maximum flexibility when it comes to fringe roster players not taking up salary or roster spots, and leaves the player the chance to re-negotiate if they outperform their salary in year one. For deals in that range to exceed one year, they generally require slightly over the minimum, something which Pat Connaughton agreed to 12 months ago.

From Thanasis’ perspective, the chance to return to the NBA, and to do so on the same team as his brother, likely led to few additional questions from a negotiating standpoint, particularly with both years reported to be fully guaranteed.

That in itself is another peculiarity of sorts. It can’t be ignored that Antetokounmpo is now under contract with the Bucks right up until his brother’s current deal in Milwaukee is scheduled to expire. Fully guaranteeing the money holds little incentive for the Bucks other than offering a significant display of faith in Thanasis, and likely pleasing Giannis too.

Additionally, it may take away some of the temptation that could have arisen from a partial guarantee. This is not a deal that the Bucks are likely to want to trade or waive prior to Giannis’ future being pledged long-term to Milwaukee. If they end up doing so, and alienating their franchise player in the process, this move will be looked back on as an incredibly questionable decision.