The NBA has granted the Bucks salary-cap relief on Mirza Teletovic’s contract due to his career-ending injury, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets. The decision will remove $10.5MM off of Milwaukee’s books, Charania adds.
That salary was spread out through the 2020/21 season via the stretch provision. That means $3.5MM will be lopped off the Bucks’ cap this season and the same amount over the next two seasons. The Bucks were fairly close to the luxury-tax threshold with nearly $121MM in salary guarantees this season, so the league’s decision will give them more breathing room.
It also affords Milwaukee more wiggle room to make trades. The Bucks applied for relief early last month.
Teletovic, who signed a three-year, $30MM contract with Milwaukee in 2016, was limited to 10 games last season due to a medical condition diagnosed as pulmonary emboli in both lungs. The 33-year-old had a similar health scare a few years ago when he developed multiple blood clots in his lungs and opted to retire as a player. He was waived last season and that’s when the Bucks applied the stretch provision.
The extra $3.5MM could be even more useful in one of the next two seasons if it contributes more directly to the Bucks reducing a potential tax bill or gaining cap room.
Hopefully Teletovic is doing better health wise. Just goes to show you sports aren’t everything.