Bobby Portis Stays Put: Bucks Make First Move in Free Agency

Bobby Portis Stays Put: Bucks Make First Move in Free Agency

we are hours away from free agency officially beginning and the Bucks already making one move We break down the Bobby Portoris extension and everything else we’ve seen this Sunday afternoon on the latest locked on Bucks You are Locked on Bucks Your daily Milwaukee Bucks podcast part of the Locked On podcast network Your team every day Welcome into Lockdown Bucks I’m Justin Garcia joined once again by Camille Davis and Frank Madden We thank you for making this your first listen of the day each and every day Today’s episode of Lockdown Bucks is brought to you by FanDuel Right now new customers can get $150 in bonus bets when your first $5 bet wins We uh had the soft start to free agency as teams were free and clear to negotiate with their own guys as soon as the finals ended and we’ve seen a few deals start to trickle out um mostly all from the same position with bigs as the Minnesota Timberwolves are reportedly keeping both of their guys in Nas Reed and uh Julius Randall and the Bucks are keeping Bobby Portoris for a deal that is relatively similar to what Bobby Poris was earning the past year or or so here at uh what just over 14 million that this is going to clock in at for Bobby and a three-year deal So uh the first domino for the Bucks has fallen Camille you brought it up before we started recording too Um the grade that was given to this by ESPN was a C minus And was there any further context on that Yeah I just Well ESPN didn’t like the deal as much because they felt as if the age component of the Bobby Portoris dilemma here of like well he’s going to be 33 by the time this contract ends so it’s not going to age super well from him He’s not a great rim protector and if you’re asking him to play center like you’re you’re over uh indexing what you want from Bobby Porter So ultimately ESPN wasn’t very high on it Me personally when I saw what he was coming in for after seeing the Nasreed contract where I was like dang they’re gonna give Nasreed 25 m a year I was like like that’s that’s pretty steep And for a second it made me nervous about what the Bobby Portoris market might look like With understanding Bobby is older so like of course I don’t think it’s going to be 25 million a year annually but could it get too expensive for the Bucks to be able to retain him But all in all the Bucks reach a threeyear $44 million deal with Bobby Pors keep him in Milwaukee And I like the deal Um again it’s not too expensive I could see it being a little rich uh for some people but just given what the Bucks need this coming season with the likelihood that Brook Lopez is probably not returning And again we don’t know how free agency will shake out but uh especially if you lose Brook Lopez having that consistency there in your front court I think will be helpful And ultimately too it’s a contract that if things go a certain way could be very tradable for the Bucks as well So I do like the aspect of it as well Uh Frank I
I was gonna say Justin I think we on Thursday night I think when we last pod potted you know we said expect this deal the first year salary to be between his current player option right which you know would have been the opt-in sort of scenario and the mid-level exception which was 14.1 I think his current um number was about 13 and a half So it was a very tight range that we said like this is probably the narrow window that it’s going to fit into And um Eric Name reporting tonight that um even though it’s a new deal um it starts at his exact same number that that he was going to be at which I think was like 13.5 um which is a little below the the full mid-level exception And so um so I think we talked about you know is maybe the best case scenario was honestly that maybe that he just took the player option um and he’s on an expiring contract just given the uncertainty around where the Bucks are and you know his age blah blah blah Um he is 30 in ringer/ ESPN years That makes him 32 So um Giannis I Zach Lo did it again on Friday He said Giannis was 31 Um Giannis doesn’t turn 31 for another five months But um makes me wonder like when he turns 31 does he automatically become 32 36
Does does the ringer then call him 32 Does he jump to 33 You know Yeah Um so anyway but uh but yeah so I mean we’ll see aging curve-wise you know Um I’m always sort of of two minds with this because I always think of Jared Dudley for some reason because of whole like he didn’t he doesn’t have much athleticism to lose you know with similar conversations around Chris Middleton as well Um you know guys like this you know okay as they get into their early 30s positional stuff matters as well I think you always worry most about small guards and their aging curves just because you know they they do tend to require quickness Um Dame will I will have lots of conversations around Dame obviously especially coming off the injury But I think with Bobby you know it’s the offensive skill factor the shooting kind of interesting to look back I mean he shot so poorly to start last year We had a ton of negativity generally around Bobby start to the season and then he started to get things going right I mean him and Gary Trent Jr both had really cold starts to the year and then Bobby figured it out and you know his percentages kind of got to where they usually get And um and the other thing with Bobby too it’s it’s interesting and you know this is the two sides of the coin I think with Bobby and Brooke You know you look at his playoff numbers I mean I’d say two three years ago like the thing we always said about Bobby was it’s like well yeah but it’s like look at that Net series and you won the championship you just pretty much didn’t play And that concern about like well if you if you’re switching and or he’s having to protect the rim like how do you know how do you avoid teams really exploiting some of his limitations on defense And I think first off to his credit I know we’ve talked about this there were a number of games last year where like he actually like made defensive plays like um I remember there was a game in Cleveland I think it was when Giannis missed the first game in Cleveland where it was really close He made like repeated like blocks and steals in the fourth quarter of that game And again it’s not to say he’s like a plus defender or something like that but I think this was a season where I didn’t really notice his limitations on defense nearly as much Um I don’t think he’s going to get better defensively as he ages to be clear Um but also just his playoff numbers like I think pretty much every year I was looking at this earlier pretty much every year in the playoffs he’s been a positive net differential guy even though the last two years the Bucks have not obviously fared well Um and his his onoff numbers right So the difference between when he’s on versus off has been huge I mean like 20 to 30 points swings when he’s on versus off And obviously the flip side of this coin is the fact that Brook Lopez minutes especially these last two playoff series against the Indiana Pacers just haven’t worked right And I think the upside with both Brooke and Bobby is regular season wise these guys just roll out the ball They come to play they you know knock on wood have been both been super durable Um Bobby obviously the suspension last year was really the one exception to that Um but health-wise you know hopefully he continues to just be able to play night in and night out which has always been super helpful especially when Giannis misses games And of course you know I think not just like the kind of thinness of the big man market um the importance that the Bucks have have some big um besides you know like they have three bigs from last year that are all free agents Um I think Bobby was kind of the safest guy to bet on just because obviously he’s younger than Brooke I think he’s um you know a guy that has held up better in the playoffs and is stylistically like you can say he doesn’t have like a real offensive situ you know systemic strength but he’s also I think a bit more malleable against different types of defenses because obviously he is more mobile than Brooke is So he obviously was a guy I think he wanted to keep and um you know I think obviously just the the relationship with the city is you don’t sign him because of that but I think it’s something that everybody you know at the end of the day feels really good about um the fact that you get to keep a guy who obviously has meant a lot to this team has meant a lot to Giannis um has meant a lot to the state the franchise all those things and it’s just it’s just a feelood story and it’s just like you know Bobby Porter is going to some other team at this age like you know that would have been just weird like I like would he like he he’s not going to ever have that sort of relationship with I think another city And so I think it’s just nice to see him kind of keep keep it going here in Milwaukee And we’ll see what happens I think it will be a tradeable contract You know
Warriors fans were very interested in him as a potential target And I think you know stretch bigs who can guard kind of four or five or at least be playable at the four and five I mean those guys are going to have value So it’s not that you’re going to flip them for some big hall or something like that but um but I think if you need to go a different direction at some point you know I think you’ll have at least some options So shout out to Bobby I think you know we I think we’ve all had sort of mixed feelings about sort of his limitations and his strengths and sort of some of the trade-offs around that But at the end of the day I think especially when you put on your fan hat like
it’s it’s a feel-good story for him to come back And I think the number is very reasonable Um and especially when you look as Camille as you pointed out like some of the the other numbers that we’ve been seeing for bigs in this marketplace I think we knew that there really wasn’t a market necessarily for Bobby to do more than the mid-level but you never know right And a lot of times teams do overpay just because they feel like they should Um kind of like I think that that’s what that Nauseared number was from Minnesota Um but you know here the Bucks I think did something that was reasonable and obviously Bobby you know he’s he’s happy to sign it and we move we move on
Um I’ve got a a few thoughts on it but then I I do want to pivot to the two big positions for the Bucks in this free agency period Um the back court and the big men and what the market is going to tell us uh especially for their guards and players like Gary Trent Jr So we’ll get into that conversation coming up after this Time to talk to you about FanDuel It’s summertime meaning sports are in full swing Whether you’re about baseball taking as many games as you can getting under the lights golfing on the greens or high stakes soccer action FanDuel’s the best way to make every game even more exciting You’re already following the action so why not make it a little more thrilling With FanDuel you can get in on the game with your friends and wow they’re getting sunburned at the beach Whether you’re placing a same game parlay or watching a bet ride into the ninth inning FanDuel makes it feel as though you’re a part of the action It’s easy to use you get paid out fast that makes even regular season games feel like mustwatch events If you’re new to FanDuel new customers can bet just $5 and get $150 in bonus bets if your first bet wins Open the FanDuel app today or visit fanduel.com to get started I mean and you know the interesting part I agree with that last part that it’s a at the very least you know this is a tradable contract if it’s right in there around the the mid-level figure
and it’s it’s not a fiveyear deal it’s a three-year deal Um the to me the most interesting part about this is I mean it’s it’s a deal you have to do for the reasons you brought up Frank too of like well you can’t be left without a chair to sit in you need one big at least but just what happens with Giannis is the interesting part with this deal in that hey if we would have known if something happens then maybe this is a summer that we could look to start to get off of some of that money So that’s the one part about this deal Uh but to get him for that value especially when you look at the the 25 million a year that Nas Reed got um I’ll sign up for that I Camille and I were talking before we started recording before you jumped on Frank My only thing with this one was I’m just curious of what the market was for Bobby And maybe there was an offer out there for the the full mid level But I mean the tricky part is there’s two teams that could pay him more than that And you know other teams he’s been linked to we’re talking about the 14.1 million And I just don’t know that those teams that we’ve heard Bobby Portoris popping up with like are you going to give him that full figure So that was the one thing that struck me of what was the market for him to get 14 million from another team Maybe it was And all it takes is one team to do that Um but I suppose I would rather have Bobby Poris in hand than try to test that and say “Hey if you think you can get 14 million go shop it and then lose out on him.” So that’s the danger that you get with that And look the other thing too on a lighter note is if there’s a gap year um if things take a little bit of a downturn for the Bucks this upcoming season you still want to have some fun And Bobby Poris is one of the reasons to get out there and keep following this team So it’s important in that sense as well Um before we pivot to the guards and centers too So I I was talking with you guys on Friday that I was told by someone there would be a press conference happening on Friday for a different event and that Bobby Portoris is going to be there and make an announcement So it me immediately put me into scramble mode and talking with you guys and talking with Eric too of have you heard anything about this and trying to figure out like are they actually going to announce an extension or or what here And uh it was cancelled at the last minute but now we get the news that Bobby Poris is agreeing to a contract extension or a new deal with the Bucks I should say the the other big name to touch on we’ll get to Brook Lopez in a minute but uh Gary Trent Jr I think all three of us said coming into the offseason that’s the number one priority for this group because of what he did down the stretch and his age And you know we talk about the interesting part of like what are the other offers out there for Bobby Portoris I mean I’m really interested now especially in light of the Malik Beasley news in what that does to the market for Gary Trent Jr If it takes Malik Beasley off and bumps everybody else up a line if the Pistons are saying “Hey we’ll throw this money at Gary Trent Jr or another team that misses out on Nquille Alexander Walker or Quinton Grimes Gary Trent Jr moves up on their board.” So I do wonder if um let’s say Malik Beasley Malik Beasley Gary Trent Jr does resign with the Bucks if the figure ends up being not insanely higher but at least moderately higher than we expected If this is why
yeah that news made me nervous for that reason Outside of the fact that the Malik Beasley alleged gambling scheme ring whatever you want to call it happened while he was in a Bucks uniform which brings up a whole another set of questions that I have of like what was he betting on who was he betting on Um so as that information comes out I’ll definitely be paying attention But with him having this situation like it came out to that he was in talks with the Pistons to sign like a three-year 42 million deal with him And now that’s all put on pause while all this litigation plays out So for me I think best case scenario from a buck standpoint is that now on their list it’s not a Gary Trent Jr moves up It’s more so like a hey Dennis Schroeder we were cool with letting you walk away before but now we might be a little bit more interested in bringing you back with Ivy coming back because it seemed initially as if they felt cool with Schroer walking away because they’re like Ivy can handle that backup point guard situation But if there’s no Malik Beasley maybe they look at it as like okay maybe we can use Ivy and Dennis Schroer at the same time and go from there since there’s some familiarity there But it does make me a little bit nervous about the Gary Trent Jr aspect of it too It’s like will the Pistons just like to cash out um at a level that the Bucks would not And not like they have a whole lot of cap space in Detroit Uh but like could they offer him more than
create a decent amount though
Yeah Yeah And there was talk about them you know trying to see if someone would take or absorb Simony Fonteio makes about 8 million to to free up some additional money And fortunately like as soon as the Beasley thing happened I mean first of all it’s like it’s sad right like you hope a guy is not throwing away a like a you know it’s not lifealtering money I mean he’s obviously had big contracts before but he’s not a guy who’s it’s not like we’re talking about somebody who’s like made $200 million in his career like this next deal is pretty critical probably to like you know his life lifestyle over the rest of his life and you know his kids lifestyles etc Um and so like if any of this is true or if it’s not true right I mean even if nothing comes of this like
Yeah I mean look heroes here
Yeah You know like the window here is like what’s going to happen Is he going to be like are they going to clear him in the next like
Yeah 48 hours like and then he’s going to be able to sign his contract No He does not have bird rights with the Pistons So like this is a ticking thing like they they need to use their cap space and you know I I think the good news for the Bucks knock on wood so far is that we haven’t heard reference to Gary Trent Jr but if they create some cap space they could use that to first off you know again Beasley doesn’t have um bird rights uh they you also have you know Schroeder and Tim Hardaway Jr are also sort of floating around as as you meant alluded to Camille with Schroinger Schroeder Um Tim Hardaway like I by the way has anybody like has anybody made a ton of money for longer without like anybody knowing why he gets paid it than Tim Hardaway It’s like someone decided he was making a lot of money for a long time and you know I’m sure I’m sure Gary Trent looks at him and just like man who is this guy finally Yeah I was like it’s like this is the guy who should be signing a minimum contract Um so we’ll see kind of what happens with with those guys but I know there’s mention of Nikquille Alexander Walker or Carris Levert Carris Levert potentially if Nikil Alexander Walker ends up in Atlanta then Carris Levert could end up in Detroit
I’m all for that Like go Pistons use your money on one of those guys Don’t be paying attention to Gary Trent who you know oh by the way does a lot of the stuff that Malik Beasley does not as uh high volume a three-point shooter or prolific a three-point shooter Um but I I would rather have Gary Trent Uh if we’re talking about you know having seen both of these guys in Bucks uniforms last years I would happily just take back Gary Trent I think he’s a a bit better defender And I don’t know like I just felt like his fit kind of was a little bit cleaner last year than than Malik’s was when he was kind of forced to be a starter So um so yeah we’ll kind of see what what happens with with all that but as you said Justin it’s it’s a big musical chairs game And um you know I I tweeted out after Sam Merrill former Buck um got his four-year $38 million contract that you know we’re starting to see I think a market for AJ Greens eventual He’s still under contract He’s got another cheap year left
Um which you know the but he’ll then be extension eligible And I think the you know parameters of what you would want to give him as a an early extension um are kind of pretty clear somewhere between like the Merill number Sam Hower is making 445 I know we’re like racially profiling him here We always joke about people racially profiling him and attacking him on defense and then being surprised um I think he’s a better defender than either of those guys But you know something in that you know kind of 10 to12 million range especially you know you think about it too like this would be for next year the cap is going up 15% every year right So if you could get him you know four years 10 12 million I think you’d probably say that’s pretty good business to keep AJ And couple said like oh why would AJ get more money than Gary Trent Um and I and I would say I think there’s a at least a reasonable case we made that Gary Trent is quote unquote better in some objective sense than than AJ I was looking back at their numbers again I mean first off like the AJ’s volume as a three-point shooter has actually gone down each of these three seasons in the NBA like they were actually both around like eight threes attempted per 36 which is good but not in the like rarified like actually Malik Beasley Steph like Dame like levels of like 10 plus threes attempted per 36 Um obviously AJ’s lights out from that range Um Gary was also obviously great shooting from three last year especially after those early struggles Um I think Gary’s obviously a better NBA scorer at this point just in terms of like getting to other shots whereas AJ’s really just a pure floor stretcher but I would say you know more dynamic shooter I would say is is AJ um I would say AJ’s a better at least like more consistent defender whereas Gary’s more of a gambler um in terms of like going for steals and things like that fight Um but and and you could say obviously like if you have AJ like it’s not the end of the world if you can’t get Gary back because you can start AJ and you know I think the presump presumption is one of those guys is going to be your starting shooting guard Um but I think especially with Giannis like you know and without Dame like you’re going to need guys that can put the ball in the hole Um and so I think you’d like to keep both of them And I think the reason why you know some said like why would Gary make make less money than than AJ in an extension And again like we just hit on it with Beasley as well but um always it comes down to you know obviously how good you are your age but then also do you have bird rights Are there teams out there with either you know calf space or exceptions that you know can meet your your needs And so yes I mean there are teams obviously with non- tax mid-level available for Gary um who could theoretically give him up to $14 million a year that way Um if Brooklyn decided they wanted to pay him that or more in theory Brooklyn could do that Um or the Pistons right If they decide like forget all these other guys like we could do that But the reality is like if your the team you play for doesn’t have your bird rights and can’t offer you a big money deal you know because the Bucks can’t do that right The Bucks have to use part of their mid-level exception which they obviously want to keep part of that available for KPJ If Brooke leaves you know they have to figure out a way to replace Brooke who does have bird rights which again like Brooke and Bobby like they’re going to make more money even if you think you know they’re not as important whatever it might be like that really helps their ability to to get those kind of bigger dollar numbers So that’s the reason why I I think there’s a chance the Bucks could get Gary for a lower figure I think it was Jim Ozarkski put in um I think his mailbag in the journal Sentinel about like a 7 to10 million like price range for Gary was sort of his market Um and you know I I think for a lot of teams Gary’s number would be the taxpayer midlevel or under Um because if you give a guy that then you know you’re not hardcapped at the first apron Um but that’s only like six million So
who’s going to go to a bigger number Again I think some teams should I think he’s worth that Um but if you’re the Bucks you know I think you’re telling Rich Paul his agent like well hey man we got to keep some money available We don’t know what’s going to happen with Brooke Might need to replace Brooke in the open market We got to keep KPJ Keep in mind the Bucks do also have the bannual exception which is over 5 million That feels like a KPJs sized chunk of money So in theory uh you if you really wanted to keep Gary and wanted to pay him the full mid-level exception you could do that and pay uh KPJ the $5 million figure But then suddenly you’re getting very tight on do you have enough money for another center or two centers including Jericho Sims What do you have left for Ryan Rollins etc because I think all our assumption is that the Bucks are not just going to stay under the first apron but also stay under the luxury tax this year which is about 187 So um so yeah it’s it’s a it’s a it’s a tough spot to be in but I mean this is just sort of the reality like whenever whenever people are like oh that guy’s going to get paid probably this amount of money just like okay well if it’s a higher number my point is always like who’s paying him that you know and how many teams can pay him that and who is actually going to offer him that and again with Gary I mean like I think the base of suitors should be large I’m sure lots of teams would happily take him for you know a minimum or like
what the Bucks paid or business contract last year
exactly but like that’s obviously not what he’s looking for and again like I think the other piece too if if he signs for that type of number I I would expect it’s probably a one plus one plus one
because then he has early bird rights and he can get paid 105% of what the average salary is this year which I don’t know what that’ll be but probably somewhere in the in the teens like low teens Um so yeah so that’s I think that’s kind of where where the Gary market is And you know I think with in general for the Bucks we’ve said this for prior years no news is generally good news if you’re looking for bargains You know like the deals that get announced on day one of free agency or Ilasova signing for the mid-level exception however many years ago that was
guys aren’t signing that because you’re bargain hunting and lowballing them It’s because like no they’re like “Oh crap oh we’re gonna lock in this mid-level deal from the Bucks.” And five years ago or whenever that was longer than that I guess six years I don’t know when it was for the Earth
2019 Yeah
something like that Yeah So um so if G basically that’s all to say like the longer Gary kind of sits out on the market like that’s probably better for the Bucks because you know unless they go off and spend that money elsewhere um you would think that they’re keeping some powder dry to to bring him back And obviously the the the Bobby number not you know I think you’re worried about is that Bobby’s number went higher and if it goes $23 million higher that that appreciably impacts what you can pay all these other guys Yeah
But keeping them where you know essentially he was that that’s what I had in this in my spreadsheet You know I had him at exactly his PO number and that’s what he’s coming back at So I think you know all of that keeps the Bucks on course for you know being able to retain the guys that they want to retain But again more work to do and we’ll see if kind of they can hopefully also have something else up their sleeves would be nice to not just like run back a team that that like doesn’t seem like it has a very high ceiling but at a minimum like I think obviously there’s a number of guys that you know especially some of the younger guys not Bobby or Brook Lopez but the wings and guards obviously there were a number of guys there that we like that are still hopefully guys that that can have some upside and um could grow into you know bigger roles this year especially with the amount So then on to the other big question and that is uh the future of Brook Lopez Did uh some news that that came out late Sunday night Does that change any of the market for Brook Lopez We’ll take a look at that next So Brook Lopez is one of the more interesting free agents out there because it it really does seem like you have a lot of people outside of the Bucks fan circle that are kind of making the same point too of still valuable still one of the better rim protectors he can stretch the floor and how valuable that is And you know not to get lost in the shuffle too That’s the other important piece about Bobby staying here is you need a floor stretching big to play alongside Giannis I you you just you can’t have two non-shooters on the floor and have a successful offense in this league So that’s a big piece there Um I still I think we all think he’s going to get a number that starts with a one Um but I I mean I wonder all some of the teams that you’ve heard him linked to like the Lakers the Warriors Um does DeAndre Aiden all of a sudden hitting the market and getting a buyout What does that mean for the market for Brook Lopez And is that a guy that’s going to jump in front of him because of his age Even if you can question just about everything else that comes with the game of DeAndre Aiden
that motor uh bit inconsistent from DeAndre Aton And I mean honestly too he’s younger but he still doesn’t space the floor the way that a Brook Lopez can do And that is such a valuable skill set uh in today’s NBA So I think for the Eightton being or was it working on a buyout now with the Portland Trailblazers I think that that might make the LA situation interesting because Brooke to LA always like from my understanding his first stint in LA didn’t necessarily go great Uh just the lifestyle of it all and just not a great fit So while the idea of Brook Lopez back to the Lakers makes sense because they need a center He can space the floor Uh we also have heard that you know the type of big that Luca likes to play with is a bit more agile bit more of a rim runner Um which I mean we’ve seen Brooke do a little rim running but it’s not the same vein of the type of bigs that Luca tends to uh want to play with So like I think that makes the the Lakers situation maybe not as much of a a fit for Brook Lopez even though I mentioned like it wasn’t much of a fit when he was there the first time around But um I think ultimately though teams are still going to value the skill set that Brooke has because it’s hard to get a sevenfooter that can block a 100 shots and make 100 threes in the same season I’m going to ask both of you before you share your thoughts Frank Uh DeAndre Aiden’s played seven years in the league How many threes do you think he’s hit in his career 17 Uh yeah that that sounds reasonable I’ll go Well I guess not This isn’t Price is right I’ll go 16 I’ll go I’ll go 16 I’ll go slightly under
be like Camille you mentioned it and I do think a lot of people have seen DeAndre Aiden hit a three and wow he’s a floor stretching big He’s hit 28 in his seven years of playing in the NBA and he’s only had one year where he shot in the 30% He’s a career 23% three-point shooter And I was just I was looking at his numbers earlier tonight after the news hit And I mean he’s really I I think he got better his first like few years Like statistically
he it’s just an interesting kind of story for him because he kind of came out of the box and was like you know double double productive guy put up numbers Um you know but has never been the defensive impact guy that you would have wanted him to be
Has never stretched out Camille as you said like that was one of the main things I think if you talk about just like what’s been disappointing about the arc of his career I think the motor questions and just like you know like the last couple years like what’s even his interest in being in in Portland um after being trained
when it snows
Yeah Um and then you know Yeah just not evolving his game to be that sort of like modern three-point shooting big even though he’s you know a guy like I mean I feel like every time I’ve seen him play it’s like man it feels like that mid-range is like money from him
but like you know it’s not 1997 like that’s that’s nice but um he could be even more dynamic obviously if he could stretch out and I don’t know really why he wouldn’t be able to do that um so we’ll see but it’s kind of interesting it’s like what the idea of put pairing him you know Luca in LA you would obviously hope that that kind of move would kind of animate him to an extent that maybe he hasn’t been the last couple years just in terms of like the effort motor that sort of stuff But I mean that’s always sort of like you know a dangerous game to be playing you know the Arrested Development like the you know like people thinking this is going to work out for them like like but it might work for us right Um but I because I don’t think of him as like a rim runner either even though me either necessarily be that like guy I guess Um so yeah it’s it’s it’s an question I mean you have guys like Capella out there too I feel like Capella could be a good fit for the Lakers You know I’d say that’s a more traditional just sort of like rim running type type guy that uh that would be I’d say a clean fit with with Luca I mean ironically Trey and Luca being connected for so long Trey Young and Luca from Draft Night Clint Capella got very used to catching from Trey Young over you know the the course of his time in Atlanta and um you know I think he could do certainly some similar things with Luca although you know he’s not the kind maybe quite as young and spry as he once was So
so we’ll see But I mean I think the upside for Brooke I mean he’s not that kind of electric athlete rim runner type guy but you also don’t question his desire right Exactly And and he’s you know like basically like a threelevel pick and roll threat Like he can obviously pop he can drop for deep threes obviously He’s like got that dynamite little push shot from the foul line if he’s short rolling Um and then you know like especially when Chris Milton was around like I mean he would go all the way to the rim plenty I mean Giannis how many times did Giannis kind of run pick and rolls or find him you know kind of diving to the rim So yeah I mean I think Brooke would be a very nice fit there And I think Brook’s the hardest I think Brook’s the hardest guy to peg in terms of the Bucks just because I think a lot of people kind of look at him for the reasons I mentioned right You talk about just like his onoff numbers in the playoffs these last few years and what does that speak to like does that speak to just you know he he he’s too situational in terms of like a playoff series at this point to to kind of bet at least big money on at this stage Um you know that certainly I think that’s a you know I’m I’m as big a Brook Lopez fan as there has been I think we’ve generally all been very supportive of Brooke Um but I think it’s a it’s a little bit interesting because like candidly I don’t I don’t really see the Bucks being much of a postseason threat So on some level they kind of need to just like start by just figuring out how they make the best regular season team they can to like win enough games Like it’s way more important that they win
which would increase the importance of keeping pro
Yeah Yeah It’s like it’s like it’s like a little weird right Because it’s way more important that they get to the fifth six seed I think than be like a more malleable like eight or nine seed on some level Um
so like is that a I mean is that a is that a a true tradeoff Um it’s an interesting question because I mean like we said even at his age you know other than the year where he had the back surgery like Brook’s been a guy that you know just shows up every night and plays no matter I mean all the other starters are resting and there’s Brook Lopez out there you know gutting putting up you know more more points picking up the load whatever it might be So so it’s hard I I think you know I think there’s just some natural limitations on what the Bucks can pay him and keep these other guys So I think that’s really for me it’s more about like you can’t pay him much because then you can’t keep these other guys who I think are younger and more malleable more so than like I just you need to just get rid of Brook Lopez for for the sake of it Um I do think if he comes back I think there’s obviously a good case for just not starting him for the first time since he came here
just because like hey we got to just start off in a different mode than than we have Um again is that the best path to winning regular season games I don’t know Um but you know it’s certainly I think something that you’d have to look at especially after what we saw in the playoffs last spring So um so we’ll see what happens with Brooke I think you know is there sign and trade options that could be available I I always sort of caution people cuz I feel like people love to like push the sign and trade button when it’s like a free agent they don’t really want to keep and it’s just like oh well someone else will want to give us stuff for this guy that I don’t really want And I always think of like Jabari Parker you know when Jabari left for Chicago and it’s just like yeah like you don’t generally get much for sign and trade deals And I think with Brooke you know the leverage would have to be you get like a Warriors team that just is desperate for like a reliable
more than Yeah
Exactly And then you know you get in a situation where like you’re you know you think your dream scenario there would be like can you extract Moses Moody I’m not even going to talk about like Kaminga because I think Kaminga’s probably making you know more money than Kaminga is going to be in a signing trade of his own too
Yeah Yeah Well I mean and that’s the thing like all the Kaminga stuff like because of base year compensation rules like it probably has to be like a three-way trade Yeah
But like could there be some like really
you know Brooke is a Northern California guy Like is there could there be some sort of like difficult to parse Brook to Golden State and Jonathan Kaminga somewhere and then the Bucks get you know some useful stuff but also not too much because yeah
again like Warriors I don’t think are going to want to give up a whole lot especially if they’re already giving up Kaminga you know then it’s probably like well can you get something from the other team would would have been Milwaukee right like like the Heat have been thrown out but the Heat seem to be saying like Oh we don’t need any We don’t actually want any of these people like which is okay Interesting So we’ll see But um yeah I mean is Brooke a guy that gets action on day one I imagine there’ll be discussion about him on day one I I’d be I don’t think Brook’s going to like have to wait like three or four days to get you know some attention Um just because the the big depth is so bad But I agree I mean I think the Aton news I think certainly helps the Bucks if they want to keep Brooke Um
but you know if they want to sign and trade him maybe not so much What’s the the number And like we talked before about like what’s your walkway figure but like literally because of some of the mechanisms the Bucks are going to have to use to keep these guys they’re going to be hardcapped So what’s the figure going to be like seven or eight million basically I think for to be here Yeah
Yeah
Or even less
Yeah I mean
ideally less That’s kind of what I’ve you know I kind of bookmarked was something on the order of I think 8 million um was kind of like probably the most you could pay him and you know keep all the guys you want to keep again like
there’s obviously it’s kind of hard to say with um Gary being kind of bit of a wild card what what you’re going to have to pay Gary Um you know Ryan Rollins I think is another guy we haven’t talked about I think Ryan will probably have to you know you don’t see guys target
sort of like random random restricted guys on like the first day of free agency Um so we’ll see kind of what what Ryan’s market looks like Um but you know if you kind of just start like doing the math kind of pretty quickly um I’m just kind of like sliding in some
Yeah I mean like if we assume 14.1 million between Gary Trent Jr and Kevin Porter Jr
Um you would still have what two guys to add to the mix
Yeah So like if I put Brooke at eight Bobby’s at 13.4 Um if I put Kevin Porter at five
uh and I put Gary Trent at let’s say eight and Ryan Rollins at four um I’ve got 13 guys and I’m already at 187 187 million which is like like 6 It’s like basically there’s 600,000 under the tax threshold and that’s with 13 guys So you know you need to replace you have still have Jericho Sims who you want to bring back Um so even if he takes you know the minimum now you’re like little less than two million over the tax and then you know like
I mean people like Torian Prince has sort of been the forgotten man I know excited about the idea of bringing back Torian Prince but like you need you need
you get him the 120 and I do
you need a wing You need a win Like it’s not him you know So that’s like another you know a couple million bucks if that’s like the finesses We haven’t talked about the finesses
We haven’t talked about that But I also and is floating around on the roster as well But like but I do think uh I agree with you that the mission statement is probably
let’s avoid the tax because we’re in the repeater tax but you can also get out of the tax during the season So if it means rounding out your roster and then making one of those moves going into the deadline where you send away a guy for a second round or you make some type of move that trims $6 million off payroll or something that can get you under Well and the the other rip cord that I know we talked about um a little while back we’ve referenced um which I think I think the most interesting thing would be if the Bucks are like and we haven’t talked about like Bogleub who like if he if he were to come over
Yeah
he actually helps because you can put your own second round picks at like the actual number they get which you know is generally lower than than a regular minimum contract Uh
it’s what like two point something It’s basically just look at most of the Bucks roster through the years
Yeah So um so I think the um I so I think the question is like Tyler Smith was at 1.1 last year So it’ll probably be like 1.3ish or so is what you get Bogle you which is probably like close to a million less than a regular minimum contract which which matters you know in these sorts of things But I think the interesting question is like okay if you end up with this full roster and you’re let’s say three four million over the tax you know I think what is it August 30th I think is the deadline for stretching guys in the last year of their contracts Pat Honet
if you stretch them you shave off six million and so you end up in the situation where you’re having you know John I’m sure if you’re ownership you’re telling John they’re asking John horse like
okay do you know do you stretch and trade stretch and wave this guy who um immediately gets us under the tax Um we have to carry you know some of his salary over the next like a few million bucks basically like three million bucks over the next two additional years on the cap which you know not the end of the world Um but
we’ve seen worse here Yeah we’ve seen worse right um or um or do you take that into the year because that expiring contract could also make it easier to make trades and things like that right
Yeah
So it’s it’s a kind of a tough a tough play to figure out Um and again like I think I think like Brooke is kind of like the big you know kind of pivot point for all of these decisions because I think again Gary also Gary’s probably maybe like the most important decision but I think like Brooke is the if you don’t bring back Brooke then you have like very limited opportunities to improve your your center position Well let me say this You’re not going to improve your center position probably you’re just going to play differently That the it’s it’s totally a stylistic bet right Like can you get Nick Richards by using that trade exception the $7 million trade exception would you know Phoenix just give them away making five million right That would obviously be cheaper and give you some more flexibility But like other than that you know like I don’t know if anybody I don’t know if there was any big guys you liked when you looked at the list You know the guy I looked at was like I don’t know like maybe Paul Reid if you’re like trying to play more mobile But then I was just like yeah Paul Reed I don’t know that he’s too excited about playing for Doc Rivers after not playing a whole lot for Doc in Philly So it it it’s definitely tough And again like for the Bucks you don’t have like
you know a bunch of second round picks you can use to make sort of these marginal moves I think
I think if you’re going to make a move and you have to put value in like I kind of drift towards Andre Jackson Jr like maybe that’s the guy you have to give up which
is especially hard when you have like so little wing depth on this team Yeah And um for those curious too um there’s what three teams four teams that are in the second apron Um what’s going to be interesting about Trey Aiden is anyone can sign him So the the whole provision of you can’t sign a buyout guy making above the mid level um it only applies in the season So teams that are in that list and the Lakers are not one of them can bring him in But just seeing where he lands is going to be interesting because of what it means for was it a team that was in on Brooke and they say hey this guy’s younger and he does some other things Let’s throw our money into that Does the market go very cold on him And we see Brook Lopez is one of the guys that other teams sense blood in the water for everything we just went through and saying it’s going to be tough for the Bucks to keep him and stay under the tax And even you know does Brooke want to come back for a a quote unquote gap year Like Frank as as you termed it of I don’t think the Bucks are going to be a serious threat in the playoffs this year Um I mean it’s it’s funny to hear coming off of three straight first round head exits where they were also not a serious threat in the playoffs Expectations are different now Like that’s that’s the that’s the difference Um if this is a Bucks team that gets to the playoffs and they make it out the first round I think most people would be like “Wow
celebration
What’s going on in Milwaukee right there?” Well and I mean like as we were saying right like the the top four seeds if if the Bucks are not a top four seed then you’re talking about you know Cleveland I think Cleveland will be very good I definitely interesting to see if they make a big move this summer Um this this whole LeBron like soft launch of a trade request like still I’m still confused about that Like all I know is like LeBron has said way more than Giannis has ever said and like people are way less interested
like the verbiage and the wording too about competing for championships when the team just traded for Luca
Yeah it’s all very weird But um you know I think Cleveland regardless of what happens I think Cleveland will at a minimum be a great regular season team
Um and then after that you know Boston’s down the pecking order some ways Um I think the um uh you know as far as who else is kind of in that mix Um I know Indiana obviously same argument right like they’re presumably like way knocked way down the mix um because because of Hallebertton’s absence I think the Knicks are a team you assume will get a coach who can figure out how to get them to 57
I don’t know if we can assume they’ll get a coach They’ll still be they’ll still be trying to hire other teams coaches come training camp Um so I think they’re they’re right there And then I think we talked about you know Orlando is maybe the other like obvious kind of like riser Yeah
team that certainly you know is is shooting their shot this summer And because of the Second Apron like how long can they keep that group together Like as young as they are like they’re also like up against a little bit of a ticking clock Um so they’re in an interesting position but I think certainly they have a chance to to be like a top three sort of threat Um and then you know and then you get into teams like Atlanta and Detroit um as teams that will at least be like you know
well for with Atlanta especially they are heavily linked to Nquille Alexander Walker And if that comes to fruition you got him with Chris Porzingis and a healthy group
they’re an interesting team But it’s not it’s not like in years past where there was a clearcut the Bucks and the Celtics or the Celtics the Knicks and the 76ers which some of us thought like you’re not going to have multiple clear-cut these are the teams that you’re chasing I think it’s it’s pretty clearly Cleveland and then it’s teams like Orlando of okay we think they’re much better Let’s see how this comes together
Teams with vulnerabilities I think is is what you know on paper and it’s super early We haven’t even gotten to free agency but it feels like you’re going to have teams with vulnerabilities you know beyond maybe Cleveland And again like who knows maybe Atlanta sets the world on fire whatever it might be Um but at least one of those teams also that we mentioned is probably going to have like some terrible injury luck and they’ll get knocked out And you know I look at Detroit and it’s just like I was looking at Detroit’s roster I’m just like who is their second best player You know like Cade is not like a Giannis or even Tatum level superstar or even Brunson level superstar Maybe he takes another step up to to get closer to that but like it’s kind of interesting like they’re constructed in a much more egalitarian sort of way beyond Cade And it’s like that that formula like doesn’t really seem to lend itself to like being like some sort of juggernaut Like I I do kind of wonder are they a team that like you know they have their huge kind of lift like like takeoff season Do they have like a season now where like it’s a bit of a flat year and then you know which is why I think they need to be aggressive I think Trejan Lang said like they’re not going to like go crazy but I think I mean they need another star is what I see when I look at them and like handler
the Ivy Cunningham It’s not I mean like they took off like when Cunning when Jaden Ivy was out and Dana Schroeder was there I don’t know that that’s a great endorsement of like Jaden Ivy’s sort of like winning contributions at this point I mean honestly we shouldn’t say it too loudly but the whole Malik Beasley situation happening and that being put on pause
is probably a good thing in disguise for the Pistons of like are you really going to give that guy as great as he is shooting the ball and and as break out of a season record-breaking season has had for him but like you’re really giving the full non-tax mid-level to a one-way player like that that isn’t even going to be your second best player but was critical critical to their offense right Because like they don’t have like a bunch of like really good creator offensive type guys
Well they got Tobias Harris There you go
You need to shoot him around K Like that’s that’s the key part of it Another ball handler which is what I think that they hope Ivy can grow into Uh but again like you’re you’re banking a lot on internal development too with like a Ron Holland and seeing what um Assor Thompson can get you in this So it’s like some internal growth that I think they’re banking on but Malik Beasley was very very crucial to their offense with his ability to stretch the floor and put those shots up quickly Um as we start to wrap here uh free agency starting what is it 5:00 this afternoon Central time
Um do you think there’s a name that will end up with the Bucks that we think “Wow really I did not see that coming I don’t know if I put it on record of like they’re going to get this guy but there are two that I’m interested in because as we’ve mentioned the Bucks really just don’t have much wing depth Like Jake Larabia is one for me I’m like I’m interested to see what the market looks like for him coming out of uh Sacramento after being traded from Memphis He kind of broke out a little bit while he was with Sacramento And then I saw that New Orleans declined their team option on uh Brandon Boston Jr and he’s another one for me where I’m like if what’s the market for a Brandon Boston Jr A 66 guard They can play some defense shoot pretty decently Young guy too Both of them are pretty young So those are two names I’m like what’s the market like for him And I’d be interested to see them in a Bucks jersey if the number could be right But again they’re both really young players Um so who knows what that value will be like for them in free agency
Camille’s really like getting some good clickbait names out there like Brandon Boston Dave Loravia That’s going to be the all caps uh
for the title
on the title like Bucks making moves for Loravia
Bucks bombshell Brandon Boston
Yeah these are the
DJ Boston This is Camille going much more like deep cut you know like yeah this is more of like kind of our our essence here Um I mean the the thing I know we were talking before the pod like I think certainly coming into the summer I think we were mostly assuming like well Ky Kusum is going to be here because after what you saw in the playoffs like you know what are you getting for Kyle at this point like you need to rehab the value and hope that he comes back and has a better shooting year and blah blah blah like get get him a full training camp you know that kind of stuff Um I I don’t know though because like just looking at some of the transactions today you know we were we were talking before we went on about Colin Ston and as much as like I mean the Hornets gave up like literally nothing like Nerkage’s expiring contract for him they got a second round pick with him Um you know Saxon’s a guy obviously that’s been connected to the Bucks like going back a few years he was a like favorite sort of fantasy trade target when you know as a guy to potentially play with Drew who I thought made sense Um so like you look at kind of deals like that I think first off the Bucks fortunately they didn’t have that much expiring salary or they really couldn’t make an offer for him in the way that Charlotte could Pat Huntington just doesn’t make enough money ironically um in that respect Uh but you kind of wonder like is there is there anything anybody else like that who becomes you know like literally just sort of like a distressed asset or a team set looks at the Bucks and says like well you know could you would they want Koozma because maybe they have somebody who’s owed more money over a longer period
one more year or something Yeah something like that Or you know like there was I think the mention I forget who maybe it was Brett Seagull or somebody said some said that like the Bucks might be interested in Wiggins who I think there was maybe some soft Wiggins connections at last year’s deadline as well Like there’s never been an obvious
kind of trade I think either when he was in Golden State or now Miami like you know like do the Heat need meet need meet need meet need meet need meet need meet need meet need meet need meet need meet need meet need Kyle Koosma in some respect No Um you know Wiggins makes a little bit more money than than Koozma does Um but I that’s if there was a quoteunquote big move I think that’s sort of what I would be expecting It would be something where it’s like it’s not a real star but it’s somebody that you know you feel like okay maybe if you if you kind of squint at it long enough you could feel like maybe there’s a guy who’s sort of like a third player you know I’m leaving D I’m leaving Dame sort of in like the two you know um in the second honorary star position Um so maybe there’s is there somebody like that out there obviously doesn’t look like it’s going to be Colin Ston Um but I think also like before Kevin Porter got run out of the league for his transgressions I looked at Kevin Porter and Colin Sexon actually as like kind of similar like young guys who seemed getable had kind of contracts around like 20 million you know could those have been guys that you could have paired with Drew as like kind of wild like up upside sort of swings And obviously KPJ ended up here through like a very ciruitous journey um to put it kindly Um and so I think that also probably like makes you if you can bring back KPJ and Gary Tren um and Ryan Rollins then like I think also like you’re probably just less interested in paying 20 million a year for Colin Ston But um but I don’t know there there may be other guys like that Certainly tweet at us hit us in the comments etc if there’s kind of those other guys who might be kind of in that sweet spot um for the Bucks to target And again we haven’t even kind of reregistered the topic of you know do they put that 2031 firstrounder into play because Kyoosma plus that pick that could actually fetch something but you’d obviously want more more than like Colin Ston for uh 20 30 Yeah I mean I I think the one that’s come up the most with that scenario is has been Cam Johnson And I would I would still want something else back other than just
getting Cam Johnson if you’re giving up a 2031 first Um
and that seems extremely plausible given where Brooklyn is and what they’re trying to do Like they’re trying to get
also because they are a potential Giannis suitor So
teams like them looking they would look at that as like a oh give us that now for Cam Johnson And then if Yiannis eventually asked out
we can give it back to you
We can give it back to you and you control your 2031 destiny again So um yeah I agree Like that again that becomes a playing with fire type thing And is Cam Johnson good enough I don’t know Like I definitely think he’s better than Kuzzma but you know like is the Delta worth worth that level of of risk Or you know again as we we’ve alluded to as well like I mean it doesn’t necessarily have to be um unprotected um which you know if it was like top five protected then I think you view that pick a bit differently putting into a trade Um so that might be an interesting question like how much how little protection would need to be on that pick in order to get the Nets to bite on um on that right like is it top five protected in 2031 and then unprotected in 2032 or something like that
You know there’s all different kind of versions of a trade you could try to put together It’s just it’s been some weird trades to start this off that you’re like well can the Bucks do the same here Can we get in on this where you you’re just waiting for whatever the process is
We don’t want DeAndre Aton right
But no trade
I think that was
I think that was I think that was kind of baked in I mean if if Brooke like leave I mean this is one of those things like if Brooke leaves and like DeAndre couldn’t come for the minimum it’s like well yeah
damn I guess you’re not going to get more talent
All right fine Also I I feel like Giannis would just like be like “F this guy.” Like I
I don’t see Giannis getting along with players that don’t have a a motor motor Like you can’t just take off
Yeah Um Yeah it’s it’s going to be interesting to monitor So free agency begins today and five o’clock central time is when we’ll start to see more of these moves getting announced here But the big ones from the Bucks Bobby Portoris has been ressigned and now we just wait on players like Gary Trent Jr the qualifying offer extended to Ryan Rollins So he’s a restricted free agent We see what happens with the juniors and Brooke Lopez That’ll do it for today’s show We’re back uh later tonight tomorrow with um another look at free agency with it officially beginning for Frank and Camille I’m Justin We’ll talk with you once again tomorrow

Bucks make waves as NBA free agency looms. Will their roster moves reshape the Eastern Conference landscape?

Justin Garcia, Camille Davis, and Frank Madden dissect Milwaukee’s Bobby Portis extension and its implications for the team’s salary cap. The trio analyzes Brook Lopez’s free agency situation, potential trades, and how the Bucks stack up against evolving Eastern Conference rivals. From Gary Trent Jr. to Cam Johnson, they explore intriguing targets that could bolster Milwaukee’s championship aspirations.

Tune in for expert insights on the Bucks’ crucial offseason strategy and how it could impact their title hopes. Will Milwaukee’s front office pull off a game-changing move?

0:00 Intro: Bobby Portis extension and free agency
5:08 Bobby Portis deal analysis and aging concerns
15:35 Gary Trent Jr. free agency outlook
21:00 AJ Green’s potential contract extension
27:25 Brook Lopez’s free agency situation
32:38 DeAndre Ayton buyout and impact on market
38:32 Salary cap implications for Bucks roster
46:12 Eastern Conference playoff contenders outlook
52:54 Potential surprise free agent signings for Bucks
58:35 Trade possibilities involving draft picks

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