It felt like the Milwaukee Bucks would face little competition in retaining Ryan Rollins after his quiet breakout year. However, per HoopsHype's Michael Scotto, the Spurs, Lakers, Suns, and Trail Blazers are all teams looking to steal the guard from Milwaukee. What felt like a layup has now suddenly been turned into a very complicated situation.
The Milwaukee Bucks should still do what it takes to keep Ryan Rollins
Luckily for them, the Milwaukee Bucks do have Early Bird Rights on Rollins, giving them a chance to hand their guard a new deal and keep him long-term. Yet, there are other teams that can offer him a bigger payday if that's what he's seeking. As Scotto notes, the Trail Blazers have the full non-taxpayer MLE, while the Lakers and Spurs have the bi-annual exceptions. They could make a compelling offer.
Retaining Rollins should be Milwaukee's next move. The team currently has one point guard on the roster in Kevin Porter Jr. They need to add more bodies, and bringing back Rollins to see what else he has in the tank feels like a no-brainer. Rollins showed some real promise when he earned a legitimate role on the court last season, and at 23 years old, it feels like he's got plenty more to unlock.
In his 19 starts this past season, the potential was on full display. Averaging 24.7 minutes per game, he put up 10.2 points, 2.9 assists, and 1.3 steals while shooting 45.2 percent from distance. He has the type of presence on both sides of the ball that the Milwaukee Bucks desperately need in their backcourt as they embrace becoming younger, more athletic, and far more versatile.
Sure, there are backup plans out there. Chris Paul, Malcolm Brogdon, and Russell Westbrook are all still looking for their next landing spots and could have cases to help Milwaukee. However, none of them possesses the untapped potential aspect that Ryan Rollins does. Everyone knows who Paul, Brogdon, and Westbrook are at this particular stage. Rollins still has to carve out the sculpture.
After years of swinging and missing on countless young players, it would certainly be a shame to see the Milwaukee Bucks hit on a hidden gem and then see them thrive elsewhere. The longer this Rollins saga drags out, the less likely it feels like the guard will be back in Milwaukee for another go-round.
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