Milwaukee Bucks Rumors: Bryn Forbes declining player option
The first of big free agent decisions surrounding the Milwaukee Bucks has reportedly come up.
First reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Bucks sharpshooter Byrn Forbes is declining his $2.4 million player option and re-entering free agency. Forbes’ decision on his player option was due Wednesday.
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It certainly comes as no surprise that Forbes would decline his player option, even despite seeing his limited role become minimized over the course of the Bucks’ title run.
Forbes still managed to average 10 points on .473/.452/.770 shooting splits, along with 1.6 rebounds and 0.6 assists across 19.3 minutes per game during the regular season. For the playoffs, Forbes averaged 6.6 points on .411/.371/.750 shooting splits, 1.4 rebounds, 0.3 assists in 13.7 minutes per game.
The Milwaukee Bucks may have to find a replacement for Bryn Forbes in free agency
With Forbes making the decision to re-enter free agency in hopes of a bigger payday, the Bucks very well know that they may have to replace him in free agency.
Milwaukee has its hands tied when it comes to negotiating another deal with Forbes as they don’t have his Bird rights and can either re-sign Forbes by using part or all of their $5.9 million mid-level exception. It’s very much the same dilemma the Bucks are faced with when it comes to Bobby Portis as well, whose decision on his $3.8 million player option will be coming in soon too.
This is part of the design of the Bucks’ plans during free agency last season after Forbes’ time with the San Antonio Spurs had ended as the Spurs looked to give their young backcourt core more playing time. Forbes came to Milwaukee essentially signing a “prove it” deal and ended up showing he can be a solid contributor on a championship team due to his marksmanship from beyond the arc.
While Forbes did his best to mitigate his weaknesses on the defensive end and his specialist-like role, it suited the Bucks just fine as Forbes fulfilled the exact role they previously had carved out with Kyle Korver in 2019-20.
Given the hardships and limited resources the Bucks face in running it back and re-signing Forbes in general, it’s hard to see him staying in Milwaukee, especially when he can get a solid deal for himself after what he did this year.
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If and when that comes to fruition, Bucks fans will certainly be appreciative of Forbes’ efforts and helping bringing Milwaukee their first championship in 50 years. Best of luck, Bryn!