Milwaukee Bucks: Regrading the highly discussed Torrey Craig signing
By Dalton Sell
Taking a look back, there was much to be excited about during the 2020 NBA offseason as the Milwaukee Bucks were beyond busy.
The Bucks had acquired Jrue Holiday in a massive blockbuster trade, brought in some solid role players in Bobby Portis and Bryn Forbes, and looked to be making all the right moves to bolster their contending chances. That entailed signing veteran forward Torrey Craig, who, at the time, appeared to be arguably the team’s most underrated signing of the offseason.
When the move initially went down, I gave the signing an A- for a grade. Going off the instant gut reaction, the move seemed like the Bucks hit a home run. However, Bucks fans know how things would transpire with Craig as the season progressed, with the swingman not even finishing the season on their roster. Prior to the title, the move was highly discussed among the fandom as to whether or not the team had made a significant mistake.
Knowing how things unfold during Craig’s rather uneventful stay in Milwaukee, here is a regrade for his deal from last offseason.
The financial value of Torrey Craig’s deal with the Milwaukee Bucks
Craig signed a minimum deal with the Bucks when he came aboard, which looked like a steal for the franchise.
After all, this was a player that had been playing key rotational minutes for the Denver Nuggets in the previous three seasons, including two trips to the postseason. Known for his beyond reputable defense, Craig looked like a cheap acquisition to shore up Milwaukee’s already formidable defense that had just brought in the best guard defender in the league in Holiday. With that experience and defensive excellence in tow, a veteran’s minimum contract looked fantastic in real-time for the cash-strapped Bucks. This is a team that had struggled to bring aboard free agents due to their small-market status, and now they had a quality role player on for a cheap deal.
Flash forward to this offseason, and the signing is still solid from a financial perspective. It was a minimum deal, so it is not like the Bucks looked foolish for signing him as they would during that same season with D.J. Augustin’s three-year deal worth $21 million. Still, just like Augustin, the Bucks would eventually trade Craig before the deadline. Having traded him away for cash to the Phoenix Suns, who would eventually dace the Bucks in the NBA Finals, it was a quick and easy move to cut Craig’s tenure in Milwaukee shorter than everyone expected. Financially, there is not too much to complain about in this deal.