Bucks Offseason

Middleton is the biggest decision. I think you extend him as he's only 30 and his game is not reliant on explosive athleticism. He may age pretty well. You also aren't likely to get anyone as good for a long time.

They have to plan for what's after Lopez. He's now 34 years old and coming off major back surgery. I don't think he you can count on him for 28-30 minutes in the playoffs. I think he needs to become your 15-20 minute guy and you set your plan in motion to replace him.

lakers have hired Darvin Ham as their next head coach.

Los Angeles Lakers hire Milwaukee Bucks assistant Darvin Ham as next head coach, sources say (espn.com)

Interesting development with PJ Tucker opting out of his contract with Miami.  

Possible reunion with the Bucks?

@Tschmack posted:

Interesting development with PJ Tucker opting out of his contract with Miami.  

Possible reunion with the Bucks?

Doubtful. Some people (including me) have discussed whether the Bucks would have gotten by the Celtics had they had him, but I think Matthews was a better option than him and they play the same role. The Bucks lost because they didn't have enough offense in that series without Middleton and you couldn't have played him and Matthews at the same time anyway.

If Tucker opted out of a 7.4 million dollar player option, he or his agent must know there is at least an equivalent offer coming. While that must be the case, I don't see the logic in it. He'll be 38 before next years playoffs, does nothing on offense except stand in the corner and shoot wide open 3s, and just came off the Celtics Game 7 loss where he was benched in the second half.

He’s obviously seeking a multiple year deal.  His contract with Miami was a 1 + 1 (player option).  

My guess is he’d likely take less $$ per year than 7.4M but he wants more guaranteed years.   Given he’s 38 that’s a big risk.

I thought getting Matthews for basically 2M was a steal and comparable in performance to Tucker this past year.  

@Tschmack posted:

He’s obviously seeking a multiple year deal.  His contract with Miami was a 1 + 1 (player option).  

My guess is he’d likely take less $$ per year than 7.4M but he wants more guaranteed years.   Given he’s 38 that’s a big risk.

I thought getting Matthews for basically 2M was a steal and comparable in performance to Tucker this past year.  

I can't see anyone giving him a contract that goes until he's 40.

Tucker seems like the kind of guy that constantly has a chip on his shoulder and uses it to fuel him. It works for him when he's a defensive role player on a playoff-level team. I think it also affects his judgement negatively in these types of contract negotiations. He was irritated with the Rockets because they only offered 2 years and 17 million. He left the Bucks after he felt "disrespected" after they told him they'd match any offer he got. He left the Heat after one year and declined 7.4 million. It seems like an incredibly stupid decision.

However, there is some chatter he's going to get multiple offers.

https://www.nydailynews.com/sp...psviucyde-story.html

According to Woj, it sounds like Pat C is opting in for this season so he will be back.  Good news for the Bucks.  Could be a sign that they extend him later this summer.

As for Tucker, I’m not sure it makes sense to get him.  He wasn’t much of a factor for Miami against Boston, and as you pointed out MP2 the Wes Matthews signing was just as impactful for a lot less money.

Personally, I think you’d be crazy to sign him to a 2 or 3 year deal given his age and the fact he’s not playable against every team.  

Portis opts out as expected, but reports are he's going to resign for 4 years and somewhere between 40 and 45 million.

DDV isn't offered a qualifying offer by the Kings. He's now an unrestricted free agent.

In non-Bucks news, Harden opts out. Patty Mills opts out of the Nets contract.

Earlier, John Wall got a buyout and is going to the Clippers.

Oh, and the Hawks get D. Murray from the Spurs for Gallinari and three first-round picks. The Hawks could be very good next year and the Spurs are tanking for Wenbanyama.

Not surprised Portis opted out.  Hope he can be retained.

Patty Mills would be an interesting addition if they can make the dollars worth.   While he doesn’t really play much defense, he’s a really good and underrated 3pt threat.  

Holy crap Kevin Durant is now requesting a trade from Brooklyn!  

Good thing that all worked out Nets

Any chance Milwaukee could be in play?

@Tschmack posted:

Holy crap Kevin Durant is now requesting a trade from Brooklyn!  

Good thing that all worked out Nets

Any chance Milwaukee could be in play?

Interesting what a Dubs championship without KD will do! Durant did it to himself...

How many games did that Big Three play together? 16?

I think Durant has figured out Kyrie Irving is too flaky to depend on for anything. That and the fact that the Nets ended up with the second biggest head case in the NBA (Ben Simmons).

Indications are that both Durant and Irving will be traded. The strongest Durant rumors are him going to Phoenix for DeAndre Ayton and Bridges. The Maps are rumored to be the most likely to pursue Irving.

You have to wonder how the Lakers front office (really LeBron's agents) are going to get involved with some of these discussions as well.

@wojespn: Free agent F Bobby Portis is returning to the Milwaukee Bucks on a 4-year, $49M contract, his agent Mark Bartelstein of @PrioritySports tells ESPN.

@ShamsCharnia: Free agent guard Jevon Carter has agreed to a two-year deal to return to Milwaukee, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.

Free agent Wesley Matthews has agreed to a one-year deal to return to the Milwaukee Bucks, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.

@ChrisBHaynes:  Free agent forward Joe Ingles reached an agreement with the Milwaukee Bucks, league sources tell @YahooSports.

Glad to hear Bobby is back, as well as Matthews & Carter. Hopefully Bud will use Carter better this season than in the playoffs.

Can anyone fill me in on Joe Ingles? I know nothing about him.

@ilcuqui posted:

@wojespn: Free agent F Bobby Portis is returning to the Milwaukee Bucks on a 4-year, $49M contract, his agent Mark Bartelstein of @PrioritySports tells ESPN.

@ShamsCharnia: Free agent guard Jevon Carter has agreed to a two-year deal to return to Milwaukee, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.

Free agent Wesley Matthews has agreed to a one-year deal to return to the Milwaukee Bucks, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.

@ChrisBHaynes:  Free agent forward Joe Ingles reached an agreement with the Milwaukee Bucks, league sources tell @YahooSports.

Basically, it's run it back plus Ingles and Marjon, which is fine.

Lopez, Portis, Giannis, Middleton, Holiday, Connaughton, Matthews, Grayson Allen, and Carter are your top 9.

George Hill, Nwora, Ingles, Marjon, Thanasis, and Mamu round it out.

@MNPackman posted:

Glad to hear Bobby is back, as well as Matthews & Carter. Hopefully Bud will use Carter better this season than in the playoffs.

Can anyone fill me in on Joe Ingles? I know nothing about him.

Think Kyle Korver. 41% career shooter from three. Slow-footed 6'8" white guy coming off an ACL tear.

PJ Tucker gets 3 years and 33 million fully guaranteed to go the Sixers. That's a ridiculous contract for a guy that just turned 37 and has no offensive game whatsoever. Matthews does the same things at the vet minimum for one year.

Ingles was a pretty solid player prior to the injury.  Good outside shooter.

@Tschmack posted:

Ingles was a pretty solid player prior to the injury.  Good outside shooter.

Agreed. It's just whether he gets completely played off the floor on defense in the playoffs. He was sneakily solid on the defensive end before the ACL. It's a gamble but a good one. They don't absolutely need him to compete for a title (as long as the Big 3 are healthy) but he's a good passer and adequate ball handler for his size on offense to go with elite 3-point shooting. If he gets back to where he was before the ACL, he's a 12-14 million a year type player.

Brogdon to the Celtics for almost nothing of value. Pacers get the Celtics first-round pick in 2023 (which will be mid to high 20s), Theis, Nesmith, Stauskas, and Fitts. They didn't have to give up a single guy that played significant minutes in the playoffs.

If Brogdon is healthy, the Celtics got a lot better. Even if he's not they didn't give up anything that they'll miss.

Gobert to Minnesota for a boatload of picks and role players. Minnesota keeps Towns, Edwards, and Russell.

Wolves fans are really wound up about the draft picks, but if they're in the mid 20's who cares? Typical Mn fans, they made a trade which made the team better but they bitch about what they gave up.

A lot of people complained about Milwaukee giving up 3 1s for Holiday as well but without him they don’t win the title.  Still, Gobert is a weird player.  Against certain teams in the West - namely Golden State and Dallas and Phoenix if they land Durant - I’m not sure he’s playable because he can’t step out and defend outside the paint.  

I agree he makes them better, but I do think it’s fair to suggest they gave up a lot to get him.

MP's favorite player, Bryn Forbes, lands with the Wolves.

@MNPackman posted:

MP's favorite player, Bryn Forbes, lands with the Wolves.

He's a great regular season player for a good team like the Bucks. And, to give him the credit he's due, he was as important as any non-Big 3 player in the 2021 playoffs against the Heat. He can't guard anyone though. He and Grayson Allen are very, very similar players.

It's interesting to consider whether the Bucks win the Celtics series this year if you swapped him in for Grayson Allen (who basically played the same role). The Celtics attacked Allen in the same way they would have attacked Forbes. Would Forbes have hit more of the open 3s that Allen missed?

@Tschmack posted:

A lot of people complained about Milwaukee giving up 3 1s for Holiday as well but without him they don’t win the title.  Still, Gobert is a weird player.  Against certain teams in the West - namely Golden State and Dallas and Phoenix if they land Durant - I’m not sure he’s playable because he can’t step out and defend outside the paint.  

I agree he makes them better, but I do think it’s fair to suggest they gave up a lot to get him.

Holiday is an A+ defender and a B level offensive player. He can get you 15-20 points albeit with pretty heavy volume, but he's a guy that seems to get better in the clutch.

Gobert is an elite defensive player but no offensive skills other than dunking lob passes. He's really just a taller, better version of Clint Capela with a slightly better FT stroke. But Capela makes 23 million a year and Gobert is a max player.

But I'd rather have Holiday as a defender in the 4th quarter of a playoff game. Gobert has no chance against the Durant, Butler, Tatum types. And I think that anyone objectively looking at it would rather have Giannis as a defensive player anyway.

What getting Gobert does do is make up for the fact that Towns is one of the worst defensive players you'll see for the level of athlete he is.

I don’t blame the Wolves for making that trade.  They haven’t been relevant for almost 20 years and it’s not a destination spot for good players.

Still, it’s a lot to give up for a guy that is pretty one dimensional and I don’t think it solves their problems in terms of taking the next step in the playoffs.   The fact of the matter is they may have been better off keeping Beverly and adding a guy like PJ Tucker because Russell and Edwards don’t play defense and Towns is arguably one of the worst defensive big men in the league.  

Gobert might help them move from a 7 seed to maybe a 4 or 5 seed but they still aren’t going past the second round in the West. Even if Durant doesn’t go to Phoenix, the WC is loaded with GS, Dallas, Memphis, Kahwi and the Clippers, and what should be an improved Denver and New Orleans team.  

Still, it’s a crazy time now in the NBA.  Brunson gets almost 30M a season.  Zion gets a 200M contract.  All of a sudden the Middleton and Holiday moves look pretty good in retrospect.  Portis and Pat C and even Mathews are a bargain compared to some other signings. Giannis averaging 45M the next 3 years looks favorable considering that Bradley Beal and Trae Young and Zach LaVine and KAT are basically making the same money and all four of them don’t even play mediocre D whereas Giannis gives you 30PPG and elite D and rebounding.  

Serge Ibaka returning for a year?

@Tschmack posted:

Serge Ibaka returning for a year?

Yes. Regular season minutes eater.

He was a non factor last season, but some reports mentioned he wasn’t really healthy.  We see improvements from players in year 2 (Nwora notwithstanding) so hope he can contribute.

Saw some of the highlights of the Bucks win over Brooklyn in summer league play.

Beauchamp looked pretty decent.  16 points, a few boards and shot 50% from 3. I don’t expect him to shoot that well as summer league games aren’t exactly known for defense, but he flashed a lot of potential.  Defensively, he’s really good already and has good instincts and finishes well around the hoop.  He contested a few shots and his length and athleticism was obvious.  

Certainly don’t want to get too excited in a meaningless game, but his ability to  defend the perimeter could be an important piece this upcoming year.  Other than Middleton, and an aging Wes Matthews, they don’t really have a guy that can defend taller wing guys like Tatum or Brown.   Beauchamp measures up well athletically so if he continues to play well I think he’ll get minutes this year.  If he can shoot even 35% from 3 he will be playing a lot.

Beauchamp was a bit up and down in his second game, but still hit 2/4 from 3 and played solid defense.

Mamu was a scoring machine.  Not sure he gives you a whole lot defensively, but he scored 28 and honestly could have hit more shots if given the chance.

This team is horrible and should be torn up from the top down

I agree the Utah Jazz are a mess

Mamu and Wigginton continue to impress as they beat the Mavs.  Beauchamp cools off a bit shooting from 3, but not a bad overall effort from him as well.

https://www.brewhoop.com/2022/...ia-day-takeaways-nba

First preseason game and Bucks fall to Memphis 107-102.  

No Giannis or Middleton, but Mamu had 15 and Nwora had 21 on 5 of 7 from 3.  The rookie Beauchamp didn’t shoot well but did well defensively and had 6 boards.

This team could literally go 10-12 deep given how well Wigginton and Mamu looked in summer camp and obviously Beauchamp can play some serious D.