Ron Swanson wrote:Donte's future was my first thought when the extension news came through, even though I think we all knew it was inevitable. Obviously they almost traded him in the offseason, so the FO clearly isn't treating him as deal-breaking asset in the vast majority of situations. Honestly have no idea what he'd command on the open market at this point. Anything north of an Evan Fournier type deal (16-17 mil per) and I'd say it'd be better to maximum your return and let some other team pay him that. But we have such limited resources for upgrading the roster that I wouldn't be surprised if they match most offers. You're gonna be in the luxury tax for the next 2-3 years whether you pay him or not.
If the free agent market is so wild that Donte could get a Fournier type deal then yeah I could see the Bucks taking a different tact.
That would be a big contrast between him signing a more reasonable extension this offseason to guarantee an injury doesn't derail his first big long term deal.
However Donte also might not be feeling a need to go the extra mile for the Bucks considering we almost traded him already.
If he could get a higher tier contract as a restricted free agent the following year he might end up betting on himself.
The Bucks wouldn't necessarily need to trade him if we would consider paying him more if he earns more, but if it's more like a Brogdon situation where we just don't think he's a good enough fit to warrant it, then maybe we cash in his asset value beforehand.