Milwaukee Bucks Rumors: Emerging as a suitor for Avery Bradley

According to a Yahoo! Sports report, the Milwaukee Bucks are among the teams interested in veteran wing Avery Bradley, who is mulling his player option for next season.

The NBA rumor mill is flying, and news continues to fly around the Milwaukee Bucks and what they do this offseason.

Free agents of interest have been kept relatively quiet up until this point as the Friday start date grows close each day. However, the first target has come to light. According to Chris Haynes of Yahoo! Sports, the Bucks could be among suitors for potential free agent shooting guard Avery Bradley. 

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"Yahoo Sources: Potential free agent Avery Bradley to be courted by Golden State, Milwaukee and several contenders in attempt to lure him away from the Los Angeles Lakers."

Bradley currently holds a player option worth $5 million next season.

Still, after he decided to sit out the entirety of the NBA restart, it would be justifiable for him to test the free agent waters, especially with all of the news coming out of Los Angeles. The Lakers kicked off trade season by swinging a deal for Sixth Man of the Year finalist Dennis Schroder, giving them a notable ballhandler in the backcourt.

On top of that, Los Angeles also reportedly has an interest in Wesley Matthews shortly after The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported Matthews is declining his $2.7 million option for next season. If the Lakers do snag Matthews, Milwaukee’s starting shooting guard this season, then making a run at Bradley to replace him makes perfect sense.

As the Milwaukee Bucks look to bring in some wings this offseason, Avery Bradley fits the bill.

Bradley checks off several boxes for the Bucks, none more apparent than his presence on the defensive end of the floor. Not only is the guard a two-time All-Defensive honoree, but he is the self-proclaimed best perimeter defender in the NBA, something that Milwaukee desperately needs if they’re looking to reshape their starting backcourt.

For as much defensive steel the Bucks put out on the court with players like Matthews or Eric Bledsoe, their willingness to let opposing teams let threes fly at will was a lingering weakness all season long. While by design, it certainly hurt the Bucks when it mattered most and was a primary reason for why the Miami Heat ran through them in the Eastern Conference Semifinals last season.

Bradley is surely no slouch on the offensive end, either. The guard is a solid threat offensively, having averaged 11.8 points on .436/.364/.780 shooting splits, and 1.8 assists over his 10-year career. That type of scoring threat and floor spacing prowess could unquestionably be of use to the Bucks, making their reported interest captivating.

However, for the Bucks to make a run at Bradley in the first place, he must opt out of his aforementioned $5 million player option for next season to become a free agent. With the Lakers having won without Bradley in the bubble and have bigger priorities to take care of on the wing, the 29-year-old could be in the market for a new home this offseason.

If so, the Bucks may end up making a strong run at him, especially as they may be without their best wing defender from last season as well.