Summer rewind: Milwaukee Bucks
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A look at the key offseason moves and changes for every team in the league. Next up are the Milwaukee Bucks.
OFFSEASON ADDITIONS
Free agents
Mirza Teletovic
Matthew Dellavedova
Miles Plumlee
Jason Terry
Steve Novak
Xavier Henry
Draft
Thon Maker
Malcolm Brogdon
THE REWIND
The project
Give Bucks management credit for thinking outside the box.
In a draft with little separation among first-round prospects, Milwaukee selected a player with immense upside and intrigue in 19-year-old Thon Maker.
Although the 7-foot-1 Maker fits the Bucks’ identity with his length and ability to stretch the floor, his lack of competitive basketball experience and developing on-court feel mean Maker is a project.
Milwaukee did well with its last long, tall development project in Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Blue-collar free agency
Although Matthew Dellavedova and Mirza Teletovic play different positions, both players share a common trait: They play with an edge.
Dellavedova, 25, brings championship experience and toughness.
He is coming off a strong summer playing with the Australian national team and should provide leadership and stability while Michael Carter-Williams and Tyler Ennis continue to develop.
Teletovic, 30, is coming off a good season in Phoenix and brings a different dimension to the Bucks.
Known for his ability to stretch the floor, Teletovic rejoins coach Jason Kidd – he played for Kidd in Brooklyn – and should provide offense off the bench and leadership for a young team.
Teletovic has only been in the NBA four years, but the former European star has plenty of international experience.
CAP BREAKDOWN
Player 2016
1. Greg Monroe $17,145,838
2. Khris Middleton $15,200,000
3. John Henson $12,517,606
4. Miles Plumlee $12,500,000
5. Mirza Teletovic $10,500,000
6. Matthew Dellavedova $9,607,500
7. Jabari Parker $5,374,320
8. Michael Carter-Williams $3,183,526
9. Giannis Antetokounmpo $2,995,421
10. Thon Maker $2,568,600
11. Rashad Vaughn $1,811,040
12. Tyler Ennis $1,733,880
13. Jason Terry $980,431
14. Steve Novak $980,431
15. Malcolm Brogdon $925,000
Non-Guaranteed 2016
16. Xavier Henry $980,431
Dead money
Larry Sanders $1,865,546
Salary table 2016
Guaranteed salaries $98,023,593
Dead money $1,865,546
Non-guaranteed $980,431
Tax variance $0
Free-agent cap holds $0
Incomplete roster charge $0
Salaries: cap $100,869,570
Salaries: tax $100,869,570
Salary cap $94,143,000
Luxury tax $113,287,000
Cap space None ($6,276,570 over)
Tax room $12,417,430
Milwaukee, right at the salary cap when free agency started, used the free-agent cap holds of O.J. Mayo ($12 million), Greivis Vasquez ($9.9 million) and Jerryd Bayless ($3.9 million) to sign Teletovic and acquire Dellavedova, a restricted free agent.
Both players were signed using cap space once all three holds were released.
Second-round pick Malcolm Brogdon signed using part of the remaining cap space because he signed a three-year contract.
The Bucks went over the cap to sign restricted free agent Miles Plumlee using Bird rights.
Plumlee’s signing protects the Bucks if center Greg Monroe opts out of his contract next summer.
RESTRICTIONS
Free agents signed in the offseason cannot be traded until either Dec. 15, Jan. 15 or for three months if they signed after Sept. 15.
Teletovic, Dellavedova, Steve Novak, Jason Terry and Xavier Henry cannot be traded until Dec. 15.
Plumlee cannot be traded until Jan. 15 because he was signed using Bird rights and his current salary exceeds his previous one by 20 percent.
Novak also falls under the one-year Bird restriction and cannot be traded without his approval. If Novak approves a trade, his early Bird rights will not carry to his new team.
EXTENSION CANDIDATES
Rookie
Carter-Williams and Antetokounmpo, 2013 first-round picks who are in the final year of their contracts, are eligible to have their rookie contracts extended until Oct. 31.
Because of their off-season spending, the Bucks will have little cap space next summer and can take an aggressive approach with Antetokounmpo.
Doing so, however, would mean a $7.4 million cap hold would be replaced by a $22 million max salary.
The Bucks could also leave Antetokounmpo’s cap hold with the understanding that a new max contract will be in place next July.
Carter-Williams, 24, is an unlikely candidate for an extension because he’s coming off hip surgery in March and the team signed Dellavedova.
The best scenario for the Bucks would be to find a comfort level comparable to Carter-Williams’ free-agent cap hold of $8 million. A salary around that amount would maintain the Bucks’ flexibility going forward.
Veteran
None
DEPTH CHART
Starter Bench Bench
PG Matthew Dellavedova Michael Carter-Williams Tyler Ennis
SG Khris Middleton Jason Terry Rashad Vaughn
SF Giannis Antetokounmpo Malcolm Brogdon Steve Novak/Xavier Henry
PF Jabari Parker Mirza Teletovic Thon Maker
C Greg Monroe John Henson Miles Plumlee
Milwaukee has 15 guaranteed contracts and one non-guaranteed deal with Xavier Henry.
The Bucks also have the $2.89 room mid-level level exception
SNEAK PEEK TO NEXT SUMMER
Monroe’s contract decision and the direction Milwaukee goes with the rookie extensions of Carter-Williams and Antetokounmpo will determine the Bucks’ cap flexibility next summer.
If Monroe opts out of his deal and the Bucks bypass extension talks with both players, Milwaukee would have $11 million in room.
KEEP AN EYE ON
Jabari Parker
With his first full training camp since his rookie season and a summer without limitations, expect Parker to pick up where he left off last season.
Twenty-one months removed from ACL surgery, Parker finished as the Bucks’ best player after the All-Star Break, averaging 19 points while seeing his minutes increase from 28 minutes per game to 37.
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