With just a few weeks to go until the 2023-24 NBA season, the Milwaukee Bucks roster is all but set after the team used its fifteenth and final slot in favor of Thanasis Antetokounmpo over all other available free agents.
As any fan knows, though, nothing is ever set in stone in this league. For teams with championship aspirations, everyone save for two or three names is considered moveable. Questions about the roster construction are valid and continue to swirl with the lack of a true backup point guard to keep the offense afloat when Jrue Holiday sits. This, while a litany of other competent options for that position was still available for the taking either in the trade market or in free agency.
The reality in this league is that opportunities are limited, and not everyone is going to find themselves on an NBA roster by the time the regular season comes around. But that doesn’t mean those left aren’t worth the chance.
And eager to take their places are swarms of legitimately capable NBA veterans who remain unsigned. There are fringe All-Stars, established role players, and scrappy young guys up for the taking. Even a few former Milwaukee Bucks remain unsigned in free agency.
For the Bucks, their roster situation could still very much change ahead of the trade deadline. Free agents are also still waiting for opportunities to land on any NBA team willing to take a chance on them. Here are a few free agents who are still available and who might be worth taking a shot at if the Bucks ever find themselves with a free roster spot at any point in the regular season.
Available free agents who might be worth a second look for the Bucks later on: No. 1 – P.J. Dozier
At one point, P.J. Dozier looked like he was poised to be the next great glue guy for the Denver Nuggets pre-Bruce Brown acquisition. It obviously didn’t work out that way, but that’s not to say he didn’t give us any reason to be at the very least intrigued by what he brought to the table.
Dozier last played just 16 games for the Sacramento Kings in the 2022-2023 NBA season. He averaged just 1.7 points and less than one of every other box score statistic. He also shot a wildly inefficient 30.3 percent from the field and 12.5 percent from 3-point range. It’s his biggest weakness: his offensive game still has not rounded out very well since he entered the league in 2017. He’s playing for the EuroLeague these days but would definitely be up for a return to the league in the future.
When he played 21.8 minutes per game for the Denver Nuggets, though, he did average 7.7 points per game in the 2020-21 season. During that campaign, he also held opponents to -9.3 points per 100 possession when he was on the floor versus when he was off it, which is good for the 96th percentile among players in his position according to Cleaning the Glass.
Dozier is a versatile player who can play both guard and forward positions. He is a good defender and rebounder, and he can also create his own shot. However, he is not a great shooter, and he needs to improve his ball-handling skills. In a nutshell, he’s all the wings on the Bucks roster not named Khris Middleton.
According to Cleaning the Glass (Subscription required), opposing teams had a 52.6 effective field goal percentage in the minutes that Dozier played. That outcome puts him firmly in the 84th percentile in that statistic among other players in his position.
To this day, Dozier’s elite set of physical tools should make him at the very least worth a second look over all other available free agents. The Bucks look like they’re going all-in on the big wing archetype to make scoring hell for opposing offenses, and with Dozier’s 6-foot-6 frame, he certainly fits that bill. If the Bucks ever find themselves in need of yet another utility guy to do everything at a serviceable level, they could do a lot worse than P.J. Dozier.