Milwaukee Bucks: Marvin Williams could have plenty of free agent suitors
By Adam McGee
Marvin Williams will be a free agent this offseason, and if the Milwaukee Bucks want to retain him, they may well face strong competition from other teams.
After agreeing to sign with the Milwaukee Bucks once his buyout with the Charlotte Hornets was completed, Marvin Williams would not have expected to have played only 11 games for his new team approaching the end of April.
That is the current reality, though, for the Washington native, although how it’s come about is certainly no reflection on Milwaukee’s thoughts on Williams, as much as a case of terrible timing just before the NBA season was suspended due to the global coronavirus outbreak.
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On the whole, that’s made for a particularly strange situation for the veteran forward as he looks down the home stretch of his career, which is something he’s completely aware of.
As Steve Aschburner of NBA.com relayed, Williams acknowledged that in a conference call with media members earlier this week, describing his journey this season as:
"“The most interesting couple of months of my NBA career”"
As things stand, it’s impossible to know how the season will resolve itself for Williams, or anyone else. It’s still possible that the season could resume and perhaps Williams could achieve his ultimate goal of winning an NBA championship this year, but either beyond that or in the event of a cancelation of the season, a different kind of uncertainty awaits the veteran.
Williams will be an unrestricted free agent whenever the offseason does eventually roll around, and it may be more difficult to identify his next steps than it would be with most other players around the NBA.
Put simply, Williams looks likely to have a lot of options.
Given what at the very least will prove to be a disrupted, if not truncated, relationship, there’s every chance the Bucks would like the chance to bring Williams back for another season.
In that scenario, though, they’re likely to face no shortage of competition. Prior to agreeing terms with the Bucks, which in itself proved to be a very speedy process, or even his buyout with the Hornets, Williams was reportedly a target for a number of contending teams around the league.
The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported ($) at that time:
"“Several teams are monitoring the trade availability of veteran forward Marvin Williams, sources have told The Athletic.”"
Of course, an added layer to all of this is that the Bucks, along with any rival suitors, may also have to compete with the prospect of retirement if they’re to bring Williams back for another year.
Although Williams has yet to turn 34, having come into the NBA straight from high school, he does have a lot of miles on the clock at the professional level.
Speaking to Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer back in late January about the prospect of the offseason, a candid Williams admitted:
"“I’ll be honest with you, I’ve certainly thought about being done,” Williams said earlier this week. “I feel like that’s where I am right now: I could do it or I could not.”"
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It remains to be seen what decision Williams ultimately makes for beyond this season, but at the very least he looks guaranteed to be in the fortunate position of having a lot of options to choose from.