Amid roster retooling, Bucks have reportedly worked out former Wisconsin star

The Milwaukee Bucks are leaving no stone unturned in their quest to improve their roster, even eyeing players who have been out of the NBA for years now.

According to Mike Lucas of The Cap Times, former NBA forward Sam Dekker returned to the U.S. in May after two productive years overseas. Since then, he has had workouts with the Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers and Golden State Warriors as he seeks a comeback.

Of course, Bucks fans living in Wisconsin should be familiar with Dekker, given that he spent three seasons playing for the Wisconsin Badgers from 2012-2015. Now, there's at least a chance he'll get to resume his playing career in a state he knows well.

What would Sam Dekker bring to the Milwaukee Bucks?

The Bucks could use another body in the frontcourt, and the 6-foot-9 Dekker would help them beef up their power forward depth. On the court, his NBA stats from 2015-2022 don't tell much of a story, given that he never carved out a steady role for himself. Overseas, he put up respectable numbers this past season with 12 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.9 assists and one steal per game.

In the story from Lucas, Dekker notes how he's not the same player he was throughout his previous playing days in the NBA, having learned from the experience to better himself as a player overseas. He's of the belief that he's the most improved version of Sam Dekker possible. At 30 years old, he's still got plenty of fuel left in the tank as a basketball player; the question is where he will show it.

Although it would be quite the story to see Dekker don a Bucks jersey after etching his name in the Wisconsin history books with the Badgers, it's tough to imagine the team outright signing him. The likelier outcome is that the Bucks invite him to join their Summer League team to get a closer look at him, just like they did with Jabari Parker last off-season before he was unable to participate.

If Dekker were to play in the Summer League and impress, the Bucks could extend a training camp invite and continue to work with him in hopes of earning a regular contract in time. That feels much more likely than the team giving him a standard deal right from the jump.

It's interesting to see general manager Jon Horst and co. exploring all avenues to possibly improve Milwaukee's roster this off-season, even unconventional routes like this one. With two roster spots still up for grabs, it'll be fascinating to see how the front office fills them.

Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis.