Horst Tried To Acquire Second-Round Pick
- It’s uncertain whether veteran power forward Jon Leuer will play for the Bucks, Matt Velazquez of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel tweets. Milwaukee traded Tony Snell and its first-round pick to the Pistons for Leuer in an effort to clear cap space. Leuer is in the final year of his contract. GM Jon Horst told Leuer and his agent that he could be included in a future trade, Velazquez adds. Leuer appeared in 41 games last season after injuries limited him to eight games the previous season.
- The Bucks didn’t get any players in the draft but it was for lack of trying, Velazquez reports in another tweet. The Bucks made calls on every second-round pick but didn’t want to give up future picks and discovered that it’s much tougher to simply buy picks now.
Lakers To Pursue Brook Lopez, Jordan?
Could a Brook Lopez-Lakers reunion be in the works? According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, it’s possible (hat tip to RealGM).
Windhorst said on an ESPN podcast that the Lakers are interested in bringing in a center, with Lopez and DeAndre Jordan being potential targets on the free agent market.
“The Lakers, I think, are sniffing around (Lopez). I think the Lakers need perimeter players. I think they’re going to have to use their money on perimeter players. I know DeAndre Jordan is a guy on the Lakers’ radar that they’re hoping they may able to get for relatively cheap because he wants to be back in L.A.”
Lopez was one of the biggest bargains in free agency last season after the Lakers let him walk. He signed a one-year, $3.4MM contract with the Bucks and proved to be a great fit for Milwaukee’s scheme. He started 81 games during the regular season and averaged 12.5 PPG, 4.9 RPG and 2.2 BPG while draining 36.5% of his 3-point tries. The previous season, Lopez played 74 games with the Lakers and posted 13.0/4.0/1.3 averages in those categories.
Jordan, the longtime Clippers center, had a disappointing 50-game stay with the Mavericks before he was tossed into the Kristaps Porzingis blockbuster with the Knicks. He started 19 games for New York and averaged 10.9 PPG and 11.4 RPG.
The Lakers have also been linked to Nikola Vucevic, so presumably they’re planning to go very big and use Anthony Davis quite a bit at power forward and LeBron James at small forward.
Bucks To Sign Rayjon Tucker
Rayjon Tucker of Arkansas-Little Rock has reached an agreement with the Bucks on a partially guaranteed contract, tweets Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News.
A graduate transfer, Tucker announced plans to go to the University of Memphis next season, but later decided to keep his name in the draft.
The 6’5″ guard averaged 20.3 points per game this year and shot a sizzling .411 from 3-point range. He was a second-team selection on the All-Sun Belt team.
Bucks Trade Tony Snell To Pistons
JUNE 20: The trade is now official, according to a press release from the Bucks. The 30th pick was used to select Kevin Porter Jr., but the Pistons are flipping his rights to the Cavaliers.
JUNE 19: The Bucks have reached an agreement to trade Tony Snell to Detroit, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Milwaukee will get Jon Leuer in return and will also send the 30th pick in tomorrow’s draft to the Pistons (Twitter link).
The move is a cost-cutting measure for the Bucks, as Snell is due $11.4MM next season and has a $12.2MM player option for 2020/21. Leuer is entering the final year of his contract and will make $9.5MM.
Milwaukee will save about $2MM next season, along with a $1.9MM cap hold for pick No. 30, notes Matt Velazquez of The Journal-Sentinel (Twitter links). The larger savings come from having Snell off the books in the future.
Milwaukee is entering a crucial summer with Brook Lopez, Malcolm Brogdon, Khris Middleton and Nikola Mirotic all headed for free agency. Every dollar the team can unload will help with luxury tax concerns. Once the deal with Detroit is complete, the Bucks can create up to $14MM in cap room that could be used to re-sign Lopez, notes Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link).
Snell, 27, was a rotation player for the Bucks this season, averaging 6.0 points per night in 74 games. Leuer appeared in just 41 games for the Pistons last season and played less than 10 minutes per night.
Khris Middleton Declining 2019/20 Player Option
As expected, Bucks swingman Khris Middleton will opt out of his contract, declining his 2019/20 player option to become an unrestricted free agent, agent Mike Lindeman tells ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).
That option would have been worth $13MM, but Middleton is expected to command a long-term, maximum-salary deal on the open market, Wojnarowski tweets. According to Woj, Middleton and the Bucks intend to work together to reach a new contract agreement.
[RELATED: NBA Player Option Decisions For 2019/20]
Middleton, who will turn 28 in August, earned his first All-Star nod in 2018/19. In 77 total regular season games, he averaged 18.3 PPG, 6.0 RPG, and 4.3 APG with a shooting line of .441/.378/.837, helping the Bucks to reach the Eastern Conference Finals this spring.
While Middleton may not quite qualify as a star, his two-way abilities as a three-and-D will ensure he secures a big-time payday this summer. In addition to finishing the season as Milwaukee’s second-leading scorer, he was often tasked with the most challenging perimeter assignment on defense. He was the Bucks’ primary defender on Kawhi Leonard in the Eastern Finals, for instance.
Middleton will be eligible for a five-year contract with the Bucks worth up to a projected $189.7MM. Rival suitors could offer him up to $140.6MM over four years. If Milwaukee reaches an agreement with him early in free agency, the team could hold off on making it official, since his cap hold will only be $19.5MM — keeping that figure on the books and then eventually going over the cap to sign Middleton would allow the Bucks to maximize any cap room they might open up.
It will be a crucial summer in Milwaukee, as Malcolm Brogdon, Brook Lopez, and Nikola Mirotic are all up for new deals as well. The Bucks have reportedly explored moving Tony Snell and/or Ersan Ilyasova for added flexibility.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Multiple Teams Interested In Bobby Portis
The man that bet on himself this season is in position to cash in. The Lakers, Clippers, Jazz, Bucks, Magic and Knicks are among the teams expected to have interest in Bobby Portis, Chase Hughes of NBC Sports reports.
Portis turned down an extension with the Bulls earlier this season and was rumored to be seeking a deal worth $16MM annually. While it’s not clear what kind of deal Portis receive in restricted free agency, it will certainly be a raise on his 2018/19 salary of approximately $2.5MM.
The Wizards are likely to extend a qualifying offer to Portis, which will be worth about $3.6MM.
The Bulls—the franchise that drafted Portis with the No.22 overall pick in the 2015 draft—traded him to the Wizards along with Jabari Parker for Otto Porter Jr. prior to the trade deadline. Washington is expected to decline Parker’s $20MM team option for next season, though even if both players signed elsewhere, the Wizards will have trouble carving out cap room.
[RELATED: 2019 NBA Offseason Salary Cap Digest: Washington Wizards]
The franchise is looking at approximately $89MM in guaranteed salary on the books for next season. The team will have a version of the mid-level at its disposal (the taxpayer’s MLE if over the projected $132MM) and the bi-annual exception will be available if it can stay below that tax line.
Bucks Shopping Snell, Ilyasova For Cap Room
The Bucks are looking to move either guard Tony Snell or forward Ersan Ilyasova in a trade this week with draft compensation as the sweetener to the deal, Marc Stein of the New York Times tweets.
Milwaukee had the league’s best record but its roster is in a state of flux. The Bucks’ second-best player, swingman Khris Middleton, will become an unrestricted free agent when he opts out this month. Starting center Brook Lopez will also be unrestricted and guard Malcolm Brogdon will be a restricted free agent. The Bucks are also expected to make guard George Hill an unrestricted free agent, rather than guaranteeing his $18MM salary before the end of the month.
Snell has an $11.4MM salary next season and a player option for $12.2MM in 2020/21. Ilyasova’s contract might be easier to move. He’ll make $7MM next season but his $7MM salary for 2020/21 is not guaranteed.
There are also limitations to which draft picks the Bucks can offer, since they already are obligated to move several of them. They owe a protected first-rounder to the Suns next year and a protected first-rounder to the Cavaliers in 2022. They’ve also traded second-round picks to the Kings (2019), Pelicans (2020) and Pacers (2021).
This year’s first-round pick (No. 30) could be officially traded after the pick has been made, but not before then, due to the Stepien rule.
Snell, 27, appeared in 74 regular-season games this season, including 12 starts, but was a non-factor in the postseason due to an ankle injury. He’s a career 38.2% 3-point shooter.
Ilyasova, 32, has played for six organizations since the 2015/16 season. He’s a 36.5% career 3-point shooter and also led the league this past season in charges drawn.
Cavaliers Notes: Garland, Sexton, Culver, Smith
The Cavaliers were well represented at Darius Garland‘s private workout Friday night in Los Angeles, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. Cleveland officials had been hoping for a close-up look at the Vanderbilt point guard, whose Klutch Sports representatives limited his availability early in the pre-draft process.
There’s no guarantee Garland will still be on the board when the Cavs pick at No. 5, as the Pelicans now hold the fourth pick and are reportedly receiving strong interest from teams looking to move up. There are questions surrounding Garland’s durability after he played just four games in college before suffering a meniscus injury, but many teams view him as a potential All-Star because of his exceptional shooting and ball-handling, along with the ability to take charge of an offense.
The No. 4 pick may be more unpredictable now that the Lakers are sending it to New Orleans in the Anthony Davis trade, Fedor adds. The Suns and Bulls might trade up for Garland if they believe he’s significantly better than Coby White, while the Hawks, who own the eighth and 10th picks, may decide to move up for Jarrett Culver.
The Cavs wouldn’t be afraid to team Garland with last year’s No. 1 pick, Collin Sexton, even though that would be an undersized backcourt with a pair of 6’2″ guards. Fedor notes that the organization is early enough in the rebuilding process that draft decisions will be based more on talent than fit.
There’s more from Cleveland, all courtesy of Fedor:
- Cleveland also likes Culver, but Fedor believes the chance to get him decreases if the Pelicans keep their pick. If another team trades up for Garland, then Culver becomes a strong possibility at No. 5. He had a private workout and dinner with several Cavaliers representatives last week, and the team has scouted him several times. New coach John Beilein faced Culver in the NCAA Tournament, where he scored 22 points in Texas Tech’s win over Michigan.
- Even though the Cavaliers were hoping for a top three pick, they’re confident they can add a contributor at No. 5. De’Andre Hunter and Cam Reddish are on their radar as well as Garland and Culver.
- The Cavaliers have less than two weeks to work out a trade involving J.R. Smith before his $15.6MM contract becomes guaranteed for next season. It carries just a $3.8MM guarantee until then and could be an enticing trade chip for a team looking to unload salary. Fedor sees the Heat as a prime contender for Smith, but lists the Hornets, Bucks, Thunder and Trail Blazers as other teams that could use some cap relief.
Draft Updates: Oni, Langford, Bitadze, Bone, Harris
Yale wing Miye Oni returned to the Bucks’ practice facility for a second workout on Saturday, ESPN’s Jordan Schultz tweets. Oni averaged 17.1 PPG, 6.3 RPG and 3.6 APG during his junior season. The 6’6” Oni is hoping to become the first Ivy Leaguer drafted since 1995, Schultz adds.
We have more draft info:
- Indiana freshman swingman Romeo Langford is meeting with the Heat this weekend, Schultz reports in another tweet. Miami possesses the No. 13 pick and Langford is ranked No. 14 overall by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony.
- International prospect Goga Bitadze is visiting the Celtics, Pistons and Hornets in the days leading up to Thursday’s draft. according to a tweet from Hawks website writer Kevin Chouinard. The 6’11” Bitadze, 19, led the EuroLeague and Adriatic League in blocks on both a per-game and per-minute basis. He is ranked No. 17 overall by Givony.
- The Wizards worked out Tennessee guard Jordan Bone on Saturday, according to a team press release. The point guard is No. 56 on Givony’s list.
- Forward Terry Harris worked out for the Knicks on Thursday, Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News tweets. He also visited the Nets this week and will work out for the Mavericks and Jazz, Bondy adds in another tweet. He played for North Carolina A&T in his senior year, averaging 8.1 PPG. He is the younger brother of Sixers free agent forward Tobias Harris.
Milwaukee Favored To Win Next Year's Title
- The Bucks are the early favorite to win the championship next season, Brian Lewis of the New York Post tweets. The odds from BetOnline.ag have the Bucks as the lukewarm 9-2 choice, followed by the Warriors.