Thon Maker Plans To Represent Australia In World Cup Qualifiers
- Bucks big man Thon Maker intends to suit up for Australia during the FIBA 2019 World Cup qualifiers this summer, as he tells FIBA.basketball.
Latest On Bucks' Coaching Search
- ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link) and Matt Velazquez of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel provide updates on the Bucks‘ coaching search, writing that the first round of interviews should wrap up this week. Milwaukee has interviewed Ettore Messina, Steve Clifford, Mike Budenholzer, Monty Williams, and Joe Prunty so far, and still has meetings lined up with David Blatt and Becky Hammon. GM Jon Horst figures to narrow the team’s list to three or four finalists, at which point team ownership will get involved in the process.
2018 NBA Offseason Salary Cap Digest: Milwaukee Bucks
After a competitive first-round series against the Raptors in 2017, the Bucks seemed poised to take a step forward into the realm of legit contenders in the East. That didn’t happen, however, as the club struggled to reach its ceiling, firing head coach Jason Kidd midway through the season. Milwaukee may have to count on a new coach – and internal improvement from its current players – to get better results in 2018/19, since the club doesn’t have a ton of cap flexibility to upgrade its roster.
Here’s where things currently stand for the Bucks financially, as we continue our Offseason Salary Cap Digest series for 2018:
Guaranteed Salary
- Giannis Antetokounmpo ($24,157,304)
- Eric Bledsoe ($15,000,000)
- Khris Middleton ($13,000,000)
- Tony Snell ($10,607,143)
- John Henson ($10,577,466)
- Matthew Dellavedova ($9,607,500)
- Mirza Teletovic ($3,500,000) — Waived via stretch provision
- Thon Maker ($2,799,720)
- D.J. Wilson ($2,534,280)
- Spencer Hawes ($2,007,058) — Waived via stretch provision
- Larry Sanders ($1,865,546) — Waived via stretch provision
- Sterling Brown ($1,378,242)
- Total: $97,034,259
Player Options
- None
Team Options
- None
Non-Guaranteed Salary
- Brandon Jennings ($2,222,803)1
- Tyler Zeller ($1,933,941)
- Malcolm Brogdon ($1,544,951)2
- Total: $5,701,695
Restricted Free Agents
- Jabari Parker ($4,333,931 qualifying offer / $20,347,176 cap hold): Bird rights
- Total: $20,347,176
Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds
- No. 17 overall pick ($2,459,922)
- Shabazz Muhammad ($1,499,698): Non-Bird rights
- Jason Terry ($1,499,698): Early Bird rights
- Total: $5,459,318
Projected Salary Cap: $101,000,000
Projected Cap Room: None
- While trades or cuts could open up some cap room for the Bucks, they’re far more likely to remain an over-the-cap team this summer. Their nine guaranteed contracts, plus Brogdon’s non-guaranteed salary, Parker’s cap hold, and the cap hold for their first-round pick bring the Bucks’ total team salary to $105,373,063, which is over the cap, but comfortably below the projected tax line.
- While it looked as if the Bucks may have to move a contract or two in order to re-sign Parker and remain below the tax line, that’s not necessarily a lock. Parker wasn’t at his best down the stretch and in the postseason, which may have diminished his free agent stock to some extent. If Milwaukee doesn’t have to pay max or near-max money to retain Parker, staying out of the tax would be much easier.
Footnotes:
- Jennings’ exact contract details, including guarantee info, aren’t yet known.
- Brogdon’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after July 1.
Note: Rookie scale cap holds are estimates based on salary cap projections and could increase or decrease depending on where the cap lands.
Salary information from Basketball Insiders was used in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Bucks Work Out Happ, Abudurexiti
- The Bucks are working out local standout Ethan Happ on Thursday, per Jeff Potrykus of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Happ, who averaged 17.9 PPG and 8.0 RPG for Wisconsin this past season, is testing the draft waters as a junior.
- Chinese forward Abudushalamu Abudurexiti has already worked out for eight NBA teams this spring, according to Michael Scotto of The Athletic, who identifies the Nets, Mavericks, Lakers, Bucks, Suns, and Jazz as clubs that have taken a look at the youngster. Scotto’s piece is worth checking out in full for a closer look at the under-the-radar prospect.
Rick Carlisle Denies Interest In Bucks’ Job
Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle issued a statement to the media denying that he’s a candidate for the head coaching vacancy in Milwaukee, tweets Marc Stein of The New York Times.
“Rumors that I have interest in the Milwaukee Bucks’ job are completely inaccurate,” he wrote. “I work for Mark Cuban and the Dallas Mavericks.”
Carlisle is responding to a report from Gery Woelfel this week suggesting that the Mavs coach might have interest in coaching the Bucks, Stein adds (Twitter link). Woelfel identified Mike Budenholzer and Monty Williams as the top two candidates for the job.
Carlisle just completed the first year of a five-year extension in Dallas that runs through the 2021/22 season. He has a 437-367 record in 10 seasons with the Mavericks.
Lloyd Pierce Optimistic About Chances With Hawks
Sixers assistant Lloyd Pierce feels good about his chances to become the next head coach in Atlanta after going through a second interview Tuesday, relays Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Pierce, who had a dinner meeting with Hawks ownership, is among four finalists for the vacancy, along with Trail Blazers assistant Nate Tibbetts, Hornets assistant Stephen Silas, and Celtics assistant Jay Larranaga. Pierce added that he isn’t sure when Atlanta officials will make their decision, but said his experience in Philadelphia prepared him for the opportunity.
“The main reason is just looking at their young players,” he said. “They got four guys in the draft. They got a couple of young players that are on their roster. So what’s most important when you are dealing with young players and young talent, it’s the development and relational side of that. It’s kind of my track record. It’s anybody’s track record of how do you communicate, how do you work with players, how do you develop, what does that mean?”
The Hawks will add to their young talent base in the draft, Pompey notes, holding the fourth-best odds at the top pick heading into next week’s lottery, along with two more first-rounders at No. 19 and 30 and a high second-rounder at No. 33.
After making the decision to start rebuilding, Atlanta fell to the bottom of the Eastern Conference at 24-58. It’s familiar territory for Pierce, who joined the Sixers in 2013 and has been through the darkest days of “the Process.” He is also considered to be a candidate for the opening in Milwaukee, but the Bucks haven’t contacted him yet, according to Pompey.
Draft Notes: Washington, Ward, Brown, Hudson
Kentucky freshman forward PJ Washington is working out for the Clippers this week and will meet with the Timberwolves and Bucks before next week’s draft combine, Fletcher Page of the Louisville Journal Courier reports. Washington, who has already visited the Celtics and Nets, has a pinky finger injury that will require surgery, Page continues. Father Paul Washington told Page that his son isn’t assured of staying in the draft.
“It’s real simple — if he’s guaranteed a first round pick, then he’ll stay in the draft,” Paul Washington said. “If he doesn’t get that, we’ll have to make a decision. It’s PJ’s decision.”
The 6’8” Washington is listed at No. 51 among Jonathan Givony’s top 100 prospects at ESPN.com. He averaged 10.8 PPG and 5.7 RPG for the Wildcats.
In other draft developments:
- Michigan State sophomore center Nick Ward will work out for the Pistons this weekend, Brendan Quinn of The Athletic tweets. Ward has already worked out for the Knicks and Thunder and at least eight other teams are interested in bringing him in, Quinn adds. He averaged 12.4 PPG and 7.1 RPG for the Spartans. He is not listed among Givony’s top 100 prospects.
- The Hawks are bringing in six prospects on Wednesday, according to a team press release. South Carolina forward Brian Bowen, Auburn guard Bryce Brown, Purdue guard Nojel Eastern, Maryland forward Bruno Fernando, Florida shooting guard Jalen Hudson and Utah Valley center Akolda Manyang are the players visiting Atlanta. Hudson, ranked No. 45 by Givony, is the most prominent member of the group.
Bucks Line Up Coaching Interviews For This Week
The Bucks have a busy week of head coaching interviews ahead of them, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who reports (via Twitter) that the team will meet with Steve Clifford today after sitting down with Ettore Messina on Saturday.
In addition to today’s meeting with Clifford, the Bucks also have interviews lined up this week with Mike Budenholzer, Monty Williams, Becky Hammon, James Borrego, and David Blatt, per Wojnarowski. All of those interviewees had been previously named as potential candidates for the Milwaukee job, with Budenholzer and Williams viewed as possible favorites.
Assuming all those interviews take place this week as planned, the Bucks’ list of completed meetings would be up to at least seven. A recent report indicated that interim coach Joe Prunty would also get to interview for the permanent job, though it’s not clear if that meeting has already taken place or if he’ll sit down with Bucks management later in the process.
Wojnarowski said last week that the Bucks may interview up to about 10 candidates for their head coaching position, so it’s possible that one or two other contenders could join the fray. Jim Cleamons reportedly spoke informally to the club about the job, making him one candidate for a more formal interview.
Checking In On NBA Head Coaching Searches
It has been nearly four weeks since the NBA regular season ended, and while a few head coaching situations have been resolved since then, several more remain unsettled. With so many candidates being linked to so many separate jobs, it’s time to check in on this spring’s coaching searches to see where they stand.
Let’s dive in…
Completed searches:
Memphis Grizzlies
- Named interim head coach J.B. Bickerstaff the permanent head coach.
- The Grizzlies’ search wasn’t much of a search at all. Rather than bringing in outside candidates, the team doubled down on Bickerstaff, having been impressed with his developmental work, if not his record (15-48).
New York Knicks
- Hiring David Fizdale to replace Jeff Hornacek.
- An extensive search resulted in the hiring of Fizdale, who was perhaps the most coveted candidate on the market this spring — the Suns reportedly made Fizdale an offer for their job, and he spoke to multiple other teams. The former Grizzlies coach will be officially introduced as Hornacek’s replacement this week.
Phoenix Suns
- Hiring Igor Kokoskov to replace interim head coach Jay Triano.
- While the Suns reportedly offered the job to Fizdale before deciding on Kokoskov, they sound pleased with how their search turned out. An assistant in Utah, Kokoskov is finishing up his playoff run with the Jazz. His deal with the Suns figures to be made official once Utah is eliminated.
Ongoing searches:
Atlanta Hawks
- While Sixers assistant Lloyd Pierce appeared to be emerging as the frontrunner for the Hawks’ job over the weekend, a Sunday evening report suggested three more assistants – Nate Tibbetts (Blazers), Stephen Silas (Hornets), and Jay Larranaga (Celtics) – are also in the mix. Those appear to be Atlanta’s finalists, though Jarron Collins and Darvin Ham have also interviewed.
Charlotte Hornets
- Ettore Messina, David Vanterpool, Ime Udoka, Jim Boylen, Nick Nurse, and Jerry Stackhouse have reportedly talked to the Hornets about their head coaching job. However, Celtics assistant Jay Larranaga and Spurs assistant James Borrego are viewed as the current frontrunners. Charlotte is conducting second interviews with both Larranaga and Borrego, with owner Michael Jordan present at those meetings.
Detroit Pistons
- The Pistons’ search just got underway today, as the team parted ways with Stan Van Gundy. They’re on the lookout for a new head of basketball operations too, so they may address that position before hiring a new coach.
Milwaukee Bucks
- A playoff team, the Bucks got a late start on their head coaching search, but they’re making up for lost time, reportedly lining up interviews with Ettore Messina, Steve Clifford, David Blatt, Becky Hammon, James Borrego, and more. Two former NBA head coaches, Mike Budenholzer and Monty Williams, are said to be among the favorites for the Milwaukee job.
Orlando Magic
- The Magic indicated at season’s end that they’d be in no rush to hire a new head coach, and they’ve made good on that promise, with very few reports surfacing on their candidates. They reportedly received permission to interview Blazers assistant David Vanterpool and Spurs assistant Ime Udoka, and have also been linked to Nick Nurse and Jerry Stackhouse of the Raptors. No clear frontrunner has emerged yet though.
To follow updates on the head coaching searches beyond this snapshot, be sure to check out our tracker.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Bucks Must Decide On Non-Guaranteed Contracts
- The Bucks are in position to trim some money from their roster heading into free agency, according to Fox Sports Wisconsin. Brandon Jennings [$2,222,803], Tyler Zeller [$1,933,941] and Malcolm Brogdon [$1,544,951] all have non-guaranteed contracts for next season, although Brogdon, a former Rookie of the Year, is expected to be brought back.