bucDoes Giannis Antetokounmpo have enough help for the Bucks to level-up?

Wrote about the Bucks, who waste a lot of the surplus value provided by their best player. An excerpt:
With a win being estimated by ESPN’s Kevin Pelton as being worth approximately 3.5 percent of the salary cap on the open market, and with Antetokounmpo being worth approximately 13 wins last season, a similar season would be “worth” $45,087,315 next year. That’s more than double Giannis’ actual salary.
In theory, this should leave the Bucks with a bunch of excess money lying around that they can spend to build a true contender. That’s the entire benefit of having a player whose production far outweighs his salary.
But we know the Bucks are not even really expected to be among the inner circle of contenders for the Eastern Conference title this coming season, let alone the NBA title. Why? Well, there’s just too much negative salary detritus elsewhere on the roster. The Bucks essentially give all the surplus value that Giannis generates back in their payments to just four players, if we go by last season’s production. Matthew Dellavedova, Mirza Teletovic, John Henson, and Spencer Hawes collectively produced on-court value that fell short of their combined salaries by $24,545,255. Other players produce adequate and even surplus value over their contracts, but the massive boon they get from Giannis could likely be far better spent.
Read the full story at The Step Back.

