Bucks Going Forward

[Goose85]

The Bucks have a star in Giannis, high level talented player in Middleton and hopefully Parker if he comes back healthy. Also have Maker who could be a very good player in the making. Brogdan is a solid piece, with the talent the Bucks have is a very good guard option (I think he hit the rookie wall late in the year). Delly plays a role with this team as well, providing veteran guard depth and experience.


The Monroe / Maker combo has been a good one, and I hope that continues (if Monroe exercises his option). Who else should stay?

I'm sure if the Bucks could make a deal Henson and or Teletovic would be moved.
Do you resign Beasley or Terry? How much is Snell worth (will he get overpaid by someone)? What about Hawes?

So what, or who (realistically) could the Bucks get to help them make that push to get in the top few in the East?
Need some outside shooting. Not sure Teletovic or Vaughan are the answer, would a veteran like Kyle Korver make sense?

I think this team is one reasonable free agent away from pushing into the top 3 in the east, but who might that be?

[mufan2003]

Good questions. The 2 biggest ones are (1) does Monroe exercise his option and (2) how much will it cost to match any offer for Snell and keep him a Buck? The Bucks should know before long regarding Monroe (would the Bucks agree to a new multi-year deal with a lower per year cap amount?). Snell will be a question mark until the Free Agency period opens. I want the Bucks to keep Snell, but not beyond the $10-14 per year range.

I think you want to do everything possible to keep the following core intact:

Brogdon, Dellavedova
Middleton, Snell
Giannis
Parker
Maker, Monroe

The expendable list would then be Vaughn, Henson, Teletovic, Hawes, Beasley, Terry (with Beasley and Terry being unrestricted free agents).

[mufan2003]

As of now, the 17-18 salary cap is projected at $101 million and the luxury tax at $121 million:

http://basketball.realgm.com/nba/info/salary_cap


Here is a look at the Bucks' salary obligations. 1 more year of Larry Sanders' settlement/buyout being on the books ($5 million). Middleton's deal continues to be quite a bargain:

http://hoopshype.com/salaries/milwaukee_bucks/

[mufan2003]

MKE_GoldenEagleFan mentioned Jeff Teague in the other thread. John Hammond went after him in Free Agency in 2013:

http://www.brewhoop.com/2013/7/10/4513036/jeff-teague-milwaukee-bucks-offer-sheet-32-million


Looking at the list of Free Agents, http://hoopshype.com/2017/04/26/nba-free-agency-2017-the-top-players/, these are the names that catch my attention as being potential options (especially if Monroe and Snell do not come back):

Chris Paul (unlikely, but may have a chance with Kidd as coach, a superstar in Giannis, and 2 very good players in Parker/Middleton)
Gordon Hayward (Parker and Middleton play similar positions, so this is highly unlikely)
Kyle Lowry (I like his shooting from the PG position, yet can create his own shot as well. Space the floor for Giannis and Jabari)
Jeff Teague (John Hammond showed interest before, would he again? He is only 28)
Paul Millsap (if you lose Monroe, a player that can go inside and shoot the 3)
Serge Ibaka (loved him in OKC and during the series against the Bucks. Can play the 5 or 4, can hit the 3 and block shots unlike Monroe)
Kyle Korver (a great shooter that can play some D, unlike Teletovic)

[MKE_GoldenEagleFan]

In my opinion the Bucks will struggle to sign anyone unless they can move Henson, Teletovic, or Dellavadova. It's not like they have much cap room.

Ideal scenario for me, would be trade Henson & Delly to some where to free up cap space, sign Teague to be your starting PG, and resign Monroe, and Snell and I think you have a Top 3 team, then if you can convince Parker to come off the bench you have a pretty balanced team. Definitely would struggle a bit defensively with the 2nd unit, but they wouldn't be defending the best players either.

PG: Teague (S), Brogdon
SG: Snell (S), Terry, Vaughn
SF: Middleton (S), Teletovic
PF: Antetokounmpo (S), Parker
C: Maker (S), Monroe

[mufansince72]

MKE_GoldenEagleFan mentioned Jeff Teague in the other thread. John Hammond went after him in Free Agency in 2013:

http://www.brewhoop.com/2013/7/10/4513036/jeff-teague-milwaukee-bucks-offer-sheet-32-million


Looking at the list of Free Agents, http://hoopshype.com/2017/04/26/nba-free-agency-2017-the-top-players/, these are the names that catch my attention as being potential options (especially if Monroe and Snell do not come back):

Chris Paul (unlikely, but may have a chance with Kidd as coach, a superstar in Giannis, and 2 very good players in Parker/Middleton)
Gordon Hayward (Parker and Middleton play similar positions, so this is highly unlikely)
Kyle Lowry (I like his shooting from the PG position, yet can create his own shot as well. Space the floor for Giannis and Jabari)
Jeff Teague (John Hammond showed interest before, would he again? He is only 28)
Paul Millsap (if you lose Monroe, a player that can go inside and shoot the 3)
Serge Ibaka (loved him in OKC and during the series against the Bucks. Can play the 5 or 4, can hit the 3 and block shots unlike Monroe)
Kyle Korver (a great shooter that can play some D, unlike Teletovic)

Hawes has a player option so it is not up to the Bucks. I think Monroe opts back in, not because he wants to, but because he is not going to get 18 million on the open market. I hate Kyle Korver. Bucks have a tough decision with Parker. Personally I wouldn't pay him. Another injury like that on a huge salary could cripple the franchise. I also don't view him as anything other than a 6th or 7th man going forward. Quite frankly the Bucks are a better team when Jabari and Giannis are not on the floor together. If Monroe and Hawes both opt in, I think you have to trade Henson. His production should be rather easy to replace at a lower cost. Maybe you can trade him for a shooter. I don't think Vaughn has much of a future with the team. However that will depend on some of the other moves and the draft.

There will also be a domino effect around the league depending on player moves. For instance, you know Carmello will be moved. Will the acquiring team have to dump veterans to fit him in? Someone mentioned Ibaka. Lowry is a free agent. If they sign him to a max contract can they keep Ibaka? Bulls might blow that whole thing up. Indiana will probably be looking to trade Paul George as he has stated he is not going to sign an extension. Paul Milsap is a free agent. Wants to stay in ATL but what does a big deal for him do to Atlanta's salary cap. The point is I don't think you can even begin to speculate until around July when some of these things begin to clear up.

[MKE_GoldenEagleFan]

The reality is we won't be signing anyone unless Monroe opts out or we move some contracts. Henson and Teletovic will be damn hard to move at that price.

[mufansince72]

The reality is we won't be signing anyone unless Monroe opts out or we move some contracts. Henson and Teletovic will be damn hard to move at that price.

I don't know, they found a sucker in Charlotte to take on Plumlees bad deal. I think Henson and Teletovic are both movable if you want to part ways with them. I'd give Teletovic another year. What about Delly? Could he be moved? Seems like a lot to pay a backup point guard.

Overall though I agree. Seems like the best course of action is probably to hope Monroe opts back in and then use his money the year they move into the new arena.

[mufan2003]

The reality is we won't be signing anyone unless Monroe opts out or we move some contracts. Henson and Teletovic will be damn hard to move at that price.

The more I look at this the more I agree. The Bucks assumed Snell's "Bird rights" by trading for him, so they can exceed the salary cap to match any offer for him. Best route for the Bucks looks like keeping Monroe and Snell, making a good draft pick at #17......and having a strong summer improving Thon Maker and Malcolm Brogdon. Hopefully Parker is ahead of schedule like last time and comes back a similar player. Bucks will also have the mid-level exception at about $5.5 million that can be spent on multiple players or 1 player.

[mufansince72]

If Monroe and Hawes both opt back in, can we trade Henson for a shooter? I just don't see anyway we go into next season with four centers.

[mufan2003]

If Monroe and Hawes both opt back in, can we trade Henson for a shooter? I just don't see anyway we go into next season with four centers.

The Bucks traded MCW for Snell in October, during the preseason. So, even if Hawes opts-in, the Bucks can still try to deal him and/or Henson, Teletovic, etc before the season starts or early in the season. The reassuring thing is that we know the owners want to win badly and appear willing to have a high team payroll. The Bucks will leave no stone unturned to improve this team.

[mufansince72]

I for one don't know what to do with Parker. He is eligible for a big extension. If we pay him and he gets injured again, or is not the same player, we are screwed. If we don't pay him, and he returns to form and doesn't get injured, he probably feels unloved and leaves as a free agent.

[MKE_GoldenEagleFan]

Ideally Hawes opts in, Monroe opts in, you move Delly, Teletovic, and Henson for minimum contracts or picks, resign Snell, Terry, & Beasley and you sign a PG like Hill or Teague.

Hawes is a cheap option for a 3rd Center behind Maker & Monroe.

[mufansince72]

Ideally Hawes opts in, Monroe opts in, you move Delly, Teletovic, and Henson for minimum contracts or picks, resign Snell, Terry, & Beasley and you sign a PG like Hill or Teague.

Hawes is a cheap option for a 3rd Center behind Maker & Monroe.

That sounds like a solid strategy.

[Goose85]

Ideally Hawes opts in, Monroe opts in, you move Delly, Teletovic, and Henson for minimum contracts or picks, resign Snell, Terry, & Beasley and you sign a PG like Hill or Teague.

Hawes is a cheap option for a 3rd Center behind Maker & Monroe.

I think Hammond will be able to move one, maybe two of those three, but we will take on a contract or two in doing so (like we did with Hawes). All three do have value, but need to be the right fit like Plumlee was. I'd be fine if we kept Delly and moved the other two for about 1/2 the contract values.

I agree on Hawes being a good option along with Maker and Monroe.

[mufan2003]

I for one don't know what to do with Parker. He is eligible for a big extension. If we pay him and he gets injured again, or is not the same player, we are screwed. If we don't pay him, and he returns to form and doesn't get injured, he probably feels unloved and leaves as a free agent.

Hammond, who spoke from the sidelines of the Bucks' training center while Parker was shooting on the court in front of him, was almost giddy about the pace of Parker's recovery, saying, "you watch him and think, 'Wow, he's going to play very soon.'" He quickly tempered that assessment, noting that the team's medical staff projected a return date around the all-star break next season.

"As far as his future in Milwaukee we think it's long term," Hammond said. "That's the goal, that always has been the goal. ... Couple things — No. 1, we want Jabari here and No. 2, he wants to be here. Similar to Giannis. I think with that in mind (for) both parties, I think that will happen.”

http://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/nba/bucks/2017/05/04/bright-future-big-decisions-bucks-off-season/101277658/