Milwaukee Bucks Rumors: Five teams gearing up to target Bryn Forbes?
By Dalton Sell
Rumors are heating up across the league with 2021 NBA Free Agency set to begin soon, and the Milwaukee Bucks have found themselves in the thick of it.
The latest news involves Bryn Forbes, who recently declined his player option worth $2.5 million that would have seen him stay with the Bucks for one more year. Instead, the guard expectedly declined his option and will test the market, and one team that is reportedly looking to target him is one of Milwaukee’s biggest competitors in the Eastern Conference.
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As initially reported by Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer, the Brooklyn Nets are the “leading candidates” to sign him. This reported interest is certainly out of left field for several reasons, but more on that in a minute.
Fischer also stated that the Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks, and New Orleans Pelicans are potential teams that will be worth watching this offseason in pursuit of the guard.
It will be interesting to see where Bryn Forbes signs this offseason after an up and down year with the Milwaukee Bucks
The writing was immediately on the wall that Forbes might be the first free agent out the door after declining his player option.
While he proved to be the team’s hero in their first round set against the Miami Heat this year, his role fizzled out in the playoffs to the point where he sat in the last three games of the NBA Finals without logging a single minute. Long range shooting was his strongest factor this year as he shot the 3-pointer at a career-best 45.2 percent. Opposing teams watched him shoot the lights out during the regular season and in the team’s first round matchup and immediately started taking notes of someone they would like to pursue in free agency.
Hearing that Forbes has a handful of interested suitors is not a surprise. Almost every team in the league would like to get their hands on a shooter of his caliber. Of the teams listed, the Mavericks and Pelicans both seem to make the most sense. Both have significant spending money at their disposal this offseason and need to surround their young stars with outside shooting. Playing next to Luka Doncic in Dallas would elevate Forbes mightily with the Slovenien’s playmaking, while he would get many shots per game playing towards Zion Williamson in New Orleans, who tends to play his best offense close to the rim.
Chicago and Cleveland are also interesting suitors for Forbes, but to hear Brooklyn appear on that list is rather unexpected. First and foremost, they will have little financial flexibility this offseason. Like the Bucks, they have significant money tied into a star-studded trio. While it would be feasible to believe they have some interest, Fischer took it a step further by noting they are reportedly the frontrunners. Many believed Forbes would prioritize getting a well-deserved payday, but it seems like his main goal may remain competing after securing a championship with the Bucks.
Losing Forbes to anyone would be tough, but losing him to a loaded conference rival would be brutal. Many would argue that the Bucks and Nets are the top two teams currently jockeying for honors in the Eastern Conference, and they could feasibly run into one another during next year’s playoffs just as they did this past season. That would certainly be something, but Forbes would unquestionably bolster Brooklyn’s already lethal shooting.
Next. Milwaukee Bucks: 5 free agents to pair with Giannis Antetokounmpo. dark
While everything is rumored at this point, be sure to keep an eye on Forbes as 2021 NBA Free Agency kicks off on August 2.