Milwaukee Bucks News: Dragan Bender expected to be waived to make room for Marvin Williams

With Marvin Williams set to join the team, the latest Milwaukee Bucks news sees Dragan Bender reportedly set to be waived to open a roster spot.

It was a quiet trade deadline for the NBA leaders, but there has been no shortage of Milwaukee Bucks news over the past 12 hours or so.

Following up on reports from Friday night that revealed Marvin Williams has opted to sign with the Bucks once his buyout with the Charlotte Hornets is completed, the big question then centered around who would be waived to make room for him.

The answer to that question arrived early on Saturday, with Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reporting that Dragan Bender was the man set to make way for Williams. Matt Velazquez of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel also confirmed that report.

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The moves won’t have been finalized in time for Williams to suit up for Saturday’s clash with the Magic, but Bender may be waived before Saturday is out, and the expectation is Williams will be signed by Monday.

It will make for a disappointing and premature end to Dragan Bender’s Bucks’ stay, as having survived many of the key checkpoints in his contract, it seemed increasingly likely that he would see the season out with Milwaukee.

Opportunity in the NBA has been relatively limited for Bender this season, but when he has had a chance to play, and when he’s been on assignment with the Wisconsin Herd in the G League, the Croatian international has left little doubt of his potential.

With the Bucks, Bender played in just seven games, averaging 3.7 points, 2.9 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 0.7 blocks in 13 minutes per game, while shooting 47.6 percent from the field and 44.4 percent from deep.

On assignment in the G League, Bender has been an undoubted star this year, averaging 20.5 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.7 blocks per game across 13 contests, with shooting splits of .505/.378/.794

The decision to waive Bender may well have been tied to the low cost of his deal, and the fact he isn’t owed any money for next season. Bender’s ability to play as a backup 5 if either Lopez brother was injured would likely have given him the edge over D.J. Wilson in terms of potential role for the remainder of the season, but Wilson is not only paid more now, but is owed $4.5 million next season.

Given how well Bender has performed with the Herd this season, if Bender clears waivers and doesn’t have a suitable offer overseas at this point in the year, the Bucks would almost certainly love for him to sign a G League deal that would see him rejoin the Wisconsin Herd, and effectively keep him in the organization until the summer.

With a non-guaranteed year on his deal for next year, though, Bender’s contract will be very appealing for NBA teams with open roster spots, and those focused on rebuilding, meaning it would be no surprise if Bender’s deal is claimed before he has a chance to consider his next move.

The signing of Marvin Williams represents a notable win for the Bucks in the buyout market, and a great addition at this point in the season, but Bender’s departure does offer up some cause for sadness all the same.

Whether his path crosses with the Bucks’ organization again, or he lands elsewhere, Milwaukee fans will undoubtedly wish Bender well in the next stages of his basketball journey.