Here's a fact that didn't take all that long to realize: Gary Harris won't make it to the All-Star break in a Milwaukee uniform. The writing's already on the wall after just two preseason games, and it's the same story Bucks fans have seen too many times before.
It took just a few games, but it's become immediately clear that Jon Horst and company will dump Gary Harris as soon as they can. It's another Rodney Hood situation. They gave a chance to a former big name. It's clear he's not who he was, and his best days are behind him.
Hood was supposed to bring shooting and veteran presence when Milwaukee signed him. Instead, he gave them absolutely nothing before getting shipped out for whatever scraps the front office could find. Harris is tracking the exact same direction as another washed veteran trading on reputation while producing nothing on the court. And since he's on a player option, they likely aren't looking to waive him any time soon, only to eat his dead money for the next season.
Gary Harris' days in a Bucks jersey are numbered
Many Bucks fans (this writer included) were excited by the arrival of Harris.
In his physical prime, Gary Harris was the prototype of a modern two-way guard: quick enough to chase shooters around screens, strong enough to hold his ground on switches, and decisive enough to punish defenses with a clean pull-up or hard drive. He didn’t waste motion, didn’t hunt for attention, and didn’t make mistakes.
On those mid-2010s Nuggets teams, he was the guy who made everything click as the connective tissue between stars and role players. Before injuries piled up and the athletic burst faded, Harris looked like the kind of player every contender needs but rarely appreciates until he’s gone.
We thought we were getting at least a sliver of that. We got none of it, and instead, found one of the lone dark spots in what was otherwise an impressive preseason for Milwaukee.
The preseason performance against Miami sealed it. When you go 0-for-4 with four turnovers in 12 minutes of a glorified scrimmage in your first NBA action in a minute, you're not just having an off night. At that point, you're showing everyone that the player you used to be doesn't exist anymore.
This is, unfortunately, where the Bucks are given their financial and asset situation. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Milwaukee can't afford to go out and sign proven contributors at market rate, so they're constantly gambling on reclamation projects and hoping someone rediscovers their old form.
The depressing part is how predictable this pattern has become. Sign aging veteran with name recognition. Give him a shot in training camp and preseason. Watch him look completely cooked. Scramble to find a trade partner willing to take the contract. Repeat next offseason with a different declining player.
Harris isn't going to suddenly remember how to shoot or defend at an NBA level. He's 30 years old with significant mileage on his body, and whatever made him effective in Denver is long gone. Milwaukee will realize this by December at the latest, then spend the next two months trying to convince some rebuilding team to take him off their hands.
That said, it happens. He didn't work out, and that's fine. It's not the end of the world for a Bucks squad with a litany of other options at the guard positions.
The real frustration is that this roster spot could've gone to literally anyone else. A young player with upside. A G-League guy hungry to prove himself. Instead, it's going to another veteran who can't contribute, eating up salary and a spot until the Bucks finally admit the mistake and move on.
Gary Harris is already Milwaukee's first trade candidate. The only question is which team will be desperate enough to take him.