Diving Into The Milwaukee Bucks 2017 NBA Free Agency Plans
Having player options at the end of lengthy contracts is a risky proposition for any team. Just ask the Milwaukee Bucks who recently had Greg Monroe elect to opt into his final year of a 3 year, $51 million contract. Monroe is expected to make around $17M next season and while it certainly means well for the big man, it handicaps his team in a major way. With Monroe’s decision in addition to big man Spencer Hawes opting in to his contract ($6M guaranteed), the Bucks are projected to have close to $111M in guaranteed contracts heading into next season. The luxury tax for this year has been set at $119M and it looks like the Bucks should be sitting this free agency out while trying to cut costs where they see fit.
There are needs to be addressed on this team. Questions about Jabari Parker’s health are valid and his status heading into next season is no guarantee. The poor play of Matthew Dellavedova should have Milwaukee looking for other point guard options on the market. With the limited salary cap space, the Bucks should be looking for cheap veteran options who can help this team.
Milwaukee has the future already locked up with both Giannis Antetokounmpo and Thon Maker under contract till the 2020–21 season. Khris Middleton is still under contract for at least two more years. Growth is still needed for each passing year, however. Yes, the goal is to build towards a future and the Bucks have a good core in place. If they want to keep progressing next year, they are going to have to find pieces who compliment Antetokounmpo and preferably, someone who can provide a veteran presence to this team. The only problem standing in their way is the salary cap situation which currently puts Milwaukee in a bind.
With Monroe and Hawes opting in along with Terrance Jones being released, Milwaukee now has to make decisions on three free agents. Those three free agents are Jason Terry, Michael Beasley, and Tony Snell. Terry and Beasley are unrestricted free agents and are unlikely to come back due to Milwaukee’s cap situation. Snell is the wild card in this situation. His free agency puts the Bucks in front of a crossroad and their decision now will have ripple effects in the years ahead. With that in mind, let’s take a look at three free agents (including Snell) who should be on Milwaukee’s radar.
Arron Afflalo
After a tough 2016–17 season with the Sacramento Kings, guard Arron Afflalo was cut on June 23rd. The Kings are obviously getting younger and with the arrival of De’Aaron Fox in the draft and Buddy Hield last season, Sacramento is showing an initiative to get younger in terms of their backcourt depth. At age 31, it looked like Afflalo would be competing for backup minutes and the Kings chose to go to the youth movement over a veteran like him. Plus, it clears 12.5 million dollars off their books.
Even though it looks like his best days are behind him, Afflalo can still be a solid contributor for any team he signs with. Afflalo isn’t the defender he used to be, but he can still provide value on that end of the court. He’s can still handle switching on the perimeter without being a liability. With the game changing towards having more guard/point-forward lineups, you need guys who can switch and not get exposed defensively. Afflalo can provide defense for Milwaukee.
Offensively Afflalo’s best years are behind him as well. That doesn’t mean he still can’t shoot the ball though, especially from three-point land. Last season Afflalo shot 41.1 percent from deep, and can be a solid kick-out threat for Milwaukee’s offense. The Bucks have a solid point-forward in Antetokounmpo and right now Milwaukee need to surround him with shooters who are ready to fire away when he draws defenses in and kicks it back out. Afflalo doesn’t need to shoot a whole lot to be an effective part of this offense. He’s not going to be a top option but his three-point shooting can help Milwaukee continue to space the floor and allow Antetokounmpo room to operate.
Afflalo fits the mold of the typical “3 and D” guard. With Khris Middleton likely manning the starting two spot next season, a bench role is in sight for Afflalo in Milwaukee. He won’t be too expensive on the market and can be effective for the Bucks in a limited minutes role. Plus his veteran presence can really help this young team.
Raymond Felton
Even though it’s only been a year, the signing of Matthew Dellavedova is looking like a mistake. While playing around 26 minutes per game for the Bucks, Dellavedova only averaged 7.6 points, 4.7 assists, and registered an overall box plus/minus of -4.7 for the season. Yikes.
With the Bucks exploring the option of making Antetokounmpo the primary facilitator along with the emergence of Malcolm Brogdon, who took over the starting point guard spot en route to Rookie of the Year honors last season, the Bucks could really use a veteran player to help out the young guys. Delly isn’t playing well and it would be wise of the front office to consider bringing in another point guard on a cheap contract.
Raymond Felton could be an option for the Bucks. Felton has jumped around the league for quite a while and it appears his short stay with the Clippers may be coming to an end. He can still be of value in a backup role despite being 32 years old. Felton knows how to run an offense and can bring some offensive spark when needed. An decent scorer efficiency wise with an eFG (effective field goal percentage) of 47.5 this past season, Felton can give Milwaukee some quality minutes at the point guard spot. Defensively he is ok as well, registering a defensive box plus/minus of 0.8. Again, Milwaukee doesn’t need a superstar as a backup point guard. Just someone who can hold their own.
It won’t be for long stretches and Felton will likely come in just to give Brogdon a rest but if he can do that without being a near disaster on the court, it will be a positive for Milwaukee. Like Afflalo, Felton won’t be expensive for the Bucks to get. They can probably offer him a low end one year contract. He will also provide a veteran presence, having played 10+ years in the league.
Tony Snell
Now we got onto the most compelling free agent on Milwaukee’s radar and it’s one of their own: Tony Snell. After trading for him this season in exchange for Michael Carter-Williams, many didn’t expect much from Snell. The forward wasn’t the offensive threat Chicago had hoped for and poor play had left him at the end of Fred Hoiberg’s rotation. Fast forward to the season’s end and now there is a solid chance Snell makes some pretty good money this offseason. Despite taking around the same number of shots as he did in Chicago, Snell’s shooting percentage has increased significantly. His three-point percentage went up nearly four points and his true shooting percentage jumped up from 47.8 to 60.3. This wasn’t something many expected out of the fourth year man from New Mexico.
In his backup role, Snell was able to be used correctly and credit the Bucks for putting him in a system that fits his style. His overall defense has improved since coming to Milwaukee, which serves as a positive sign. Especially out on the perimeter using his lanky and long frame to stay in front of defenders. At 6'7, Snell is a decent wing defender using his length to contest on jump shots and he can also switch effectively. He is more effective when guarding bigger wings but is still a very good defender to have. This is useful when Milwaukee runs small ball lineups and Snell is forced to switch and guard smaller players. He can use his length to make that given possession difficult for the opposition.
Although Milwaukee would ideally like someone who can do it all on offense as a secondary scorer, having a guy like Snell sitting in the corner waiting for kick-out three’s instead isn’t a bad option. Snell is a reliable kick-out option with 99.3 percent of his corner threes being assisted. His three-point shooting makes up for the fact he isn’t much of a player than can take guys off the dribble. Snell shoots 40.6 percent from downtown and it’s clear that for the Bucks offense to click they need guys who can shoot, who doesn’t need the ball in his hands to be effective on offense and can guard out on the perimeter, which is a role he fills.
Snell can’t do a whole lot other than be a lanky defender on the perimeter and shoot threes but his game works with Milwaukee so well. That raises the ultimate question they have to answer very soon: Is paying Snell worth it?
Verdict:
The most likely option, and most sensible, out of all of those three is Snell.
To anyone this is a tough sell but at the same time, you can’t fault the Bucks for wanting to retain Snell. His role on the team is well defined and he has more than exceeded expectations while playing for them. If Milwaukee believes he can be continue to be a key bench contributor moving forward then it would be worth keeping him for the future.
He will likely be making double figures next season and teams will be going after his services in free agency. Luckily for Milwaukee, Snell is a restricted free agent and they can match any offer he gets. Although the difference in their offer compared to the one he might get from another team might only be a couple of million dollars, it affects the Bucks salary cap drastically. It’s something they have to consider before matching an offer Snell gets.
With the opting in of Greg Monroe, the Milwaukee Bucks find themselves in a tricky situation. They are already over the cap and have to address another free agent option in Tony Snell. If Milwaukee chooses to let him walk or address other areas of need, they will have to look to guys who will likely not command major money this offseason. This is a fork in the road moment for Milwaukee and with the contract of Malcolm Brogdon coming up next offseason, the Bucks might have to be comfortable paying the luxury tax for a while. Welcome to the cap space crunch, Milwaukee.
