While the Milwaukee Bucks are not directly involved in the LeBron James sweepstakes, they are still waiting for his decision. Per insider Marc Stein and Jake Fischer (subscription required), one trusted source believes eight or nine free agents—potentially even more—could make their choice as soon as LeBron decides where he wants to play next. It wouldn't be shocking if the Bucks were waiting on one of those players.
LeBron race has put the NBA on pause
It's wild that a 41-year-old free agent is controlling the league like this, but it's reality. No team wants to make any moves until they see where James lands, given that they might have a chance at landing him. Plenty of free agents are also waiting, knowing that they are backup options in case a team with interest does not land the forward.
Among the free agents currently stuck is Jonathan Kuminga, who is a sign-and-trade candidate. Even though the Atlanta Hawks are not a LeBron suitor, the Cleveland Cavaliers sure are. As mentioned in the previously noted Stein and Fischer article, Kuminga is likely a fallback option for Cleveland if their LeBron desires fall short.
Peyton Watson is another player who could be directly impacted by the chase. While reports make it sound like the Denver Nuggets would love to have him back, they are also one of the teams that have been linked to James. They could very well want to sort things out with James before they commit long-term money to Watson.
That goes without mentioning more high-profile names such as Draymond Green, DeMar DeRozan, Bradley Beal, and James Harden. They will not get clarity until James decides.
Bucks are likely still a move or two away
The Milwaukee Bucks aren't done making moves. They are just stuck for the moment. In addition to having interest in Watson and Kuminga via sign-and-trade, they also have too many players employed as is. They will need to trim the roster down to 15 standard contracts, possibly through salary dumps, but until James decides, they have to wait it out.
Everyone is waiting for this to end. Adam Silver, the NBA's commissioner, himself has said that he needs James to make a decision so the league can finalize a schedule. Every team in the league shares that same sentiment so they can resume tweaking their rosters. Yet, James does not want to blink, so the NBA is on pause for now.
Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis.
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