Unless the Milwaukee Bucks pull another rabbit out of their hat last minute like they did last year with the blockbuster Damian Lillard trade, they are seemingly done making roster moves.
The Bucks didn't make the splashiest moves, such as the Philadelphia 76ers adding Paul George to create a formidable new trio or the New York Knicks continuing to bring together every single former Villanova player with the addition of Mikal Bridges. However, they were really never expected to swing for the fences this year. That came last year when they brought in Lillard.
Instead, the Bucks were expected to make a few moves around the edges to better complement their stars up top, and they did just that. Even if the NBA world isn't high on the Milwaukee Bucks right now, they have put together a roster that will have them competing this coming season. That said, let us analyze Milwaukee's offseason moves and give their summer transactions an overall grade.
The two ways
Given how veteran-oriented their roster is, the Milwaukee Bucks don't typically give two-way signings a prominent role. Most of their time is spent in the G-League with the Wisconsin Herd, where they can work on their games in hopes of landing a standard deal down the line, the exact same path that Bucks wing AJ Green took. They added two new, eye-catching players via these deals this offseason.
Signing Stanley Umude.
The Bucks are always hunting for wing depth, so it made sense when they inked Stanley Umude to a two-way deal early in free agency. The 6-foot-6 25-year-old showed flashes of 3-and-D potential in his two seasons with the Detroit Pistons, taking on difficult defensive assignments while knocking in 44.4 percent of his shots from 3-point territory.
This is a nice flyer signing for the Milwaukee Bucks. Another versatile, defensive-minded wing never hurts to have in tow. Even if he doesn't see prominent minutes in Milwaukee right away, if he dazzles in the G-League, he'll catch the eye of a front office that has been hunting for athletic defensive wings for years now and perhaps earn a standard deal if a roster spot opens up.
Signing Anzejs Pasecniks.
After signing Umude, all three of Milwaukee's two-way slots were filled up, and their 15-man standard roster was also full soon after. Looking at that group, it was clear that if the Bucks needed a body at a particular position, it was center. Behind Brook Lopez and Bobby Portis, the team had no traditional center to turn to for depth purposes. Then came Anzejs Pasecniks.
The Bucks waived Jaylin Galloway to make room for the Latvian big man, who stands tall at 7-foot-1. Like Umude, most of his time will be spent in the G-League, and it will be interesting to see what he produces with the Herd or if he ever gets a call-up. For the time being, he will serve as a break glass in case of emergency big man in Milwaukee's frontcourt.