Sports
4 NBA free agents whose careers the Milwaukee Bucks can revive – Behind the Buck Pass
TORONTO, ON – APRIL 09 (Photo by Cole Burston/Getty Images)
The Milwaukee Bucks are in the middle of an interesting off-season after a humiliating first-round playoff exit at the hands of the Miami Heat. They just drafted two defense-first wings and took on a few undrafted prospects but are still without a backup point guard heading into next season.
Free agency is still rife with intriguing names who could fit with the team on paper, but the Bucks are over the salary cap, and they don’t control their own first-round pick until 2028. Basically, they don’t have much wiggle room to sign high-profile free agents and will instead have to rely on low-cost contributors on prove-it deals.
This means that Milwaukee will have to round out its roster by luring any remaining free agents with the promise of minutes and a consistent role on a team that just won a championship not too long ago. Fortunately for them, they have had a proven track record of reviving the careers of role players and aging veterans around the league as of late.
A cursory look up and down the past few Bucks rosters is proof enough of the team’s ability to find good roles for any kind of player.
There’s former George Hill, who was traded to the Bucks in 2018 after struggling to find his footing with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Once he was acquired by Milwaukee, Hill quickly became a key contributor for the then-up-and-coming squad, averaging 6.8 points and two assists per game in the 2018-19 season. He was also a key part of the Bucks’ run to the Eastern Conference Finals that year.
The Bucks also did the same with big men Brook Lopez and Bobby Portis, with the former putting in arguably the best season in his career at the age of 35, while the latter just ended the season a finalist for Sixth Man of the Year honors. We also can’t forget guys like Pat Connaughton and Jevon Carter, who were able to find their niches as defensive, floor-spacing, do-it-all glue guys.
The point is that the Milwaukee Bucks’ ability to revive the careers of role players is a testament to the team’s culture and its commitment to winning. As long as the Bucks continue to build their team in this way, there will be no shortage of diamonds in the rough waiting for them in the free-agent market.
That being said, here are a few free agents remaining who the Bucks can realistically snag on cheap prove-it minimum contracts and whose careers the team’s coaching staff can look to revive.
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