Bucks News, Trade Ideas, Transactions

[Bucksfan28]

Just gotta ignore the asset expenditure and ask yourself is this a roster that can win the whole thing next year. Having no appreciable wing depth makes me skeptical.

Also, one thing still unmentioned in the year-to-year comparisons is whether Khris sustains his play or regresses from a peak year. If the latter happens, guys 3-7 are even more important (in addition to Giannis).

[raferfenix]

This wouldn’t be as painful as Bogdan to the Lakers but wow would I be that much more jealous of Philly getting Morey.

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[zimpy27]

Holllinger:

Bucks score another salary cap own goal (Sat. 5:40)
Bucks: While you were all talking about Gordon Hayward (my initial thoughts are under separate cover here and I’ll have more on this in the morning), the Milwaukee Bucks were busy making a fraught free agency weekend take another bad turn.

As I mentioned in an earlier missive (scroll down), the Bucks originally agreed to a two-year, $8 million deal with Pat Connaughton that included a second-year player option. Only one problem: As an Early Bird Rights player, Connaughton wasn’t eligible to receive a second-year player option on his deal.

As a result, the Bucks (almost certainly) would have had to go back to his agent with hat in hand and request a different arrangement. That’s why a new arrangement for Connaughton was reported later this afternoon. This time they ended up paying twice as much money, to do a three-year deal worth $16 million.

Wait, it gets worse. Despite the error, the Bucks didn’t even need to do the second part. They could have signed Connaughton to the original with their midlevel exception. Yes, they had already agreed to a sign D.J. Augustin to a three-year, $21 million deal with their midlevel exception, but this was also unnecessary.

Augustin’s contract, as it turns out, would have fit snugly into the Jrue Holiday trade with New Orleans as a sign-and-trade if they had either A) started him slightly lower at $6.33 million (for a three-year deal worth $19.5 million or B) included two-way Cam Reynolds in a sign-and-trade back as part of the deal.

They would have had to work out a sign-and-trade with Orlando, but doing so would have been favorable to the Magic as well, generating a $7 million trade exception for the Magic. (Indeed, it is equally bizarre that the Magic did not pursue this angle with more vigor). Orlando would have just needed to send the rights to Janis Timma to New Orleans to complete this, and if they needed cash to pay Reynolds’ salary they could have asked nicely and got it. Doing it this way would have hard-capped the Bucks, but using their full midlevel exception hard capped them anyway, so no loss.

Of course, the bigger issue is that they shouldn’t have stepped in it in Connaughton’s deal in the first place. This is part of a worrying free agency trend in Milwaukee. Last offseason they missed out on generating a $10 million trade exception from the Malcolm Brogdon sign-and-trade (think that might have been useful this week?) by not distributing George Hill’s guaranteed money slightly differently or using incentives on his or Brook Lopez’s contract. And a week ago, of course, they (or others involved) botched the sign-and-trade with Bogdan Bogdanovic when news of it leaked out inappropriately early.

None of this is necessarily a death knell for the Bucks: They had the NBA’s best record the past two seasons. But if they’re going to maximize the prime years of Giannis Antetokoumnpo and Khris Middleton, they can’t keep leaving money on the table when they manage the cap.

This is just brutal.

If you get paid millions of dollars then it's probably worth reading the CBA. It's not even that long.

[GrandAdmiralDan]

Dumb question: What's the most cap space the Bucks have had during your fandom and how did they spend it?

2005 offseason

We kept Redd's low $6 mil cap hold so we could later sign him to a max salary of $12 mil.
We absorbed Jiri Welsh's contract
Signed Bobby Simmons
Signed Dan Gadzuric

[Mags FTW]

Ahhh, yes. The offseason when I e-mailed LH (fans2harris@bucks.com?) and begged him to keep Zaza over Gadz.

[tydett]

How many **** ups does Jon Horst get before he gets ****? Seriously inexcusable that he continues to demonstrate a lack of nuance in the CBA. We're running a **** Mom & Pop shop-level franchise against corporate sharks and getting absolutely demolished in doing so.

[GoldenAntlers]

If reports about Durant looking mostly like Durant are true I think Brooklyn wins the East. They have just so much firepower between KD, Kyrie, LeVert, Harris, Dinwiddie, and a couple solid rim rollers in Allen/DJ. If they get Ibaka somehow to shore up their paint D we pretty much have to pray Kyrie **** everything up lol.

Plus if they look good up until the trade deadline they will get ring chasers.

[BuckFan25226]

Raferfenix, followed by GAD...Then MagsFTW chime in within a matter if minutes. This truly has become an all world RealGM Bucks offseason.

[randy84]

The team will be better this year, simply based on adding Jrue and Augustin

The problem is that we spent our entire drafts from 2024 to 2027 to get there. That type of asset outlay should get you much more.

Yeah. They gave up the future to put a championship team around Giannis. Unfortunately, Holiday, Augustine, Pat and Portis don't feel like a championship team.

[har13]

If we aren't title contenders now we weren't by trading for Bogdanovic.

Probably true but he moves the needle closer. We all knew we needed guys with indivual scoring ability after watching the teams that did have it advance. He helps in that regard.

Think he's been super overrated in that regard based on his NBA career.

Isolation:
17/18: 62nd percentile
18/19: 56th percentile
19/20: 67th percentile

P&R:
17/18: 56th percentile
18/19: 53rd percentile
19/20: 57th percentile

Pull up shooting:
17/18: 51st percentile
18/19: 42nd percentile
19/20: 46th percentile

I think he has a confidence and swagger that he showed a lot more in the league that Vassilis Spanoulis also dominated than actually translated to the NBA. TBF though I also am on the side that playing with Giannis makes things a lot easier than player for Vivek Ranadive.

If we stay us we are right now and i'm not talking about Bogdan here then for first time i'm going to search your posts here. ( not yours, i speak in general)

I didnt do it when i was saying trade Parker after 2 years, i didn't about Thon, his age and basketball abilities, i didnt about Plumlee and Snell when i was crying about their contracts and many attacked me, i didnt when i said that with Bledsoe we can't win a championship BUT I WILL DO IT THIS TIME...

Just joking... i hope for once i'm wrong.

[fansinceforever]

If we aren't title contenders now we weren't by trading for Bogdanovic.

Probably true but he moves the needle closer. We all knew we needed guys with indivual scoring ability after watching the teams that did have it advance. He helps in that regard.

Think he's been super overrated in that regard based on his NBA career.

Isolation:
17/18: 62nd percentile
18/19: 56th percentile
19/20: 67th percentile

P&R:
17/18: 56th percentile
18/19: 53rd percentile
19/20: 57th percentile

Pull up shooting:
17/18: 51st percentile
18/19: 42nd percentile
19/20: 46th percentile

I think he has a confidence and swagger that helped him a lot more in the league that Vassilis Spanoulis also dominated than actually translated to the NBA. TBF though I also am on the side that playing with Giannis makes things a lot easier than playing for Vivek Ranadive.

Bingo. The 40.7% number on C&S would have helped quite a bit as well. good for 15th in the league.

The Bucks need reliable scorers regardless of how they get it done but myes guys that can score efficiently in iso, PnR and pull ups is specifically what we needed.

Don't think we addressed that but hope I am wrong.

[Chad34]

bucks will win the east this year as long as we don't trade giannis. take it to the bank

[dbrodz7]

bucks will win the east this year as long as we don't trade giannis. take it to the bank

I took it to the bank last year and the damn check bounced.

[GHOSTofSIKMA]

BuckPack?

no....just common sense. the assumption that our front office is the most idiotic in the history of sport all of a sudden doesnt cross my mind especially when all these deals keep changing..... woj says we have multiple moving parts..... i dont look at horst and think he randomly decides to tear up a deal and give more money because he didnt know what he could do or not. the entire concept of that absurd no matter what you think of him. maybe is a moron..... but until the dust settles its just as moronic to assume hes that dumb

I mean it wouldn’t be the first time they had a cap related brain fart and it cost them - see last year with the trade exception they could’ve had.

im not suggesting that it isnt remoteIy possibIe..... onIy that to freak out about it when your operating on rumors, inuendo, and 1% of the facts is pretty dumb. Iike is that how aII these posters treat every situation in their own Iife? is that how they respond to their kids and their wives? just seems dumb. to me its cIear there is stiII aIot in the works so iII reserve judgement and wait untiI officiaI announcements

[JayMKE]

All these self inflicted wounds, quintessential Bucks.

[fansinceforever]

Holllinger:

Bucks score another salary cap own goal (Sat. 5:40)
Bucks: While you were all talking about Gordon Hayward (my initial thoughts are under separate cover here and I’ll have more on this in the morning), the Milwaukee Bucks were busy making a fraught free agency weekend take another bad turn.

As I mentioned in an earlier missive (scroll down), the Bucks originally agreed to a two-year, $8 million deal with Pat Connaughton that included a second-year player option. Only one problem: As an Early Bird Rights player, Connaughton wasn’t eligible to receive a second-year player option on his deal.

As a result, the Bucks (almost certainly) would have had to go back to his agent with hat in hand and request a different arrangement. That’s why a new arrangement for Connaughton was reported later this afternoon. This time they ended up paying twice as much money, to do a three-year deal worth $16 million.

Wait, it gets worse. Despite the error, the Bucks didn’t even need to do the second part. They could have signed Connaughton to the original with their midlevel exception. Yes, they had already agreed to a sign D.J. Augustin to a three-year, $21 million deal with their midlevel exception, but this was also unnecessary.

Augustin’s contract, as it turns out, would have fit snugly into the Jrue Holiday trade with New Orleans as a sign-and-trade if they had either A) started him slightly lower at $6.33 million (for a three-year deal worth $19.5 million or B) included two-way Cam Reynolds in a sign-and-trade back as part of the deal.

They would have had to work out a sign-and-trade with Orlando, but doing so would have been favorable to the Magic as well, generating a $7 million trade exception for the Magic. (Indeed, it is equally bizarre that the Magic did not pursue this angle with more vigor). Orlando would have just needed to send the rights to Janis Timma to New Orleans to complete this, and if they needed cash to pay Reynolds’ salary they could have asked nicely and got it. Doing it this way would have hard-capped the Bucks, but using their full midlevel exception hard capped them anyway, so no loss.

Of course, the bigger issue is that they shouldn’t have stepped in it in Connaughton’s deal in the first place. This is part of a worrying free agency trend in Milwaukee. Last offseason they missed out on generating a $10 million trade exception from the Malcolm Brogdon sign-and-trade (think that might have been useful this week?) by not distributing George Hill’s guaranteed money slightly differently or using incentives on his or Brook Lopez’s contract. And a week ago, of course, they (or others involved) botched the sign-and-trade with Bogdan Bogdanovic when news of it leaked out inappropriately early.

None of this is necessarily a death knell for the Bucks: They had the NBA’s best record the past two seasons. But if they’re going to maximize the prime years of Giannis Antetokoumnpo and Khris Middleton, they can’t keep leaving money on the table when they manage the cap.

This is just brutal.

If you get paid millions of dollars then it's probably worth reading the CBA. It's not even that long.

How embarrassing.

Sticking with a GM that makes bone headed mistakes like this is kind of playing fast and loose with Giannis' career. Are we serious about winning or not?

[Chad34]

bucks will win the east this year as long as we don't trade giannis. take it to the bank

I took it to the bank last year and the damn check bounced.

yeah, they definitley disappointed in the bubble. i guess i'm presuming that bud won't be stubborn 3 yrs in a row and have a better plan. more shooting should help immensely. i think we are greatly improved in that area all the way down to our draft picks. i mean we couldn't throw it in the ocean in the bubble

[Baddy Chuck]

If we stay us we are right now and i'm not talking about Bogdan here then for first time i'm going to search your posts here. ( not yours, i speak in general)

I didnt do it when i was saying trade Parker after 2 years, i didn't about Thon, his age and basketball abilities, i didnt about Plumlee and Snell when i was crying about their contracts and many attacked me, i didnt when i said that with Bledsoe we can't win a championship BUT I WILL DO IT THIS TIME...

Just joking... i hope for once i'm wrong.

As I've stated the whole way I think he's a good player who would have helped this team and would coexist really well on this roster. With that said I think he's pretty overrated from a skills standpoint. I think the player he has been in the NBA is nowhere near the pedestal he's on. Maybe he breaks out on this next contract but really I haven't seen a ton of people clamoring for the player that maybe he might break out into at 28 but rather the player that he has been, which really hasn't been much of a (for lack of a better term) needle mover in the NBA.

[dbrodz7]

Can someone photoshop Horst onto a picture of a guy playing checkers? That should be the new phone picture that lives on for years.

[greekbuck34]

KCP resigned with the Lakers. Does that means they backed off Bogdan?

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