Thanks to a trade deadline deal for Serge Ibaka, the Milwaukee Bucks opened up several roster spots and created some flexibility for the buyout market. They added a pair of quality veterans in DeAndre’ Bembry and Jevon Carter to bring the roster to 14 players (excluding two-way players). Now, everyone wants to know if they will fill that final spot before the postseason begins.
Examining options for the Milwaukee Bucks to consider with 15th roster spot
The most prominent question mark pertaining to Milwaukee’s final roster spot is what happened with Tyreke Evans. The Bucks reportedly worked out the former Rookie of the Year recently after he was reinstated following a three-year NBA ban, but nothing ever came of it. The Athletic insider Shams Charania reported on March 8 that Evans was set to meet with the Golden State Warriors for a workout sometime this week, lessening his chances of signing with the Bucks.
The biggest reason why the Bucks may not have signed Evans could be due to the emergence of Jevon Carter. Since he came aboard, Carter has played some of the best basketball of his career in Milwaukee and has quickly become a staple in the rotation. While adding another guard like Evans would not be the worst idea as the defending champs are currently without Pat Connaughton and George Hill due to injuries, Carter’s strong play may have reduced their level of concern.
Looking elsewhere on the buyout market, there are not too many targets remaining that stand out for the Bucks to inquire about. They would certainly not be able to find a needle-tipping addition to bring aboard to the roster, but some added depth at a position of need would be a feasible move. Evans would likely be their best bet in that regard, and as the 15th man on the roster, signing him would not hurt, but it seems less likely with each passing day. However, it remains an option.
Another option for the Bucks to fill their final roster spot would be staying in house and converting one of their two-ways to a standard deal. This is precisely what they did with Mamadi Diakite last season, handing the two-way big man a standard deal last April to fill their vacant roster spot and free up a two-way slot. Perhaps the Bucks could do this one again with Sandro Mamukelashvili or Lindell Wigginton and then utilize their hypothetical open two-way slot to bring in another player. As it was for Diakite, it would simply be a nice gesture by the Bucks to fill their final roster spot.
Given the radio silence on how Evans’ workout went with the team and the report that he will be working out for the Warriors, it seems likelier that the Bucks would call up one of their two-way players to fill out their final roster spot. That is just speculation, as they may end up doing neither, but only time will tell.
Mamukelashvili seems like the ideal candidate if that were to be the case, as the rookie big man has shown potential in brief spurs this year. The team seems to like what they have seen in him, and this would be a way of showing it.
Stay tuned to find out how the Milwaukee Bucks handle their final roster spot.