The Milwaukee Bucks don’t have much money to throw in for a max-level free agent this summer. And apparently, they may not have enough to retain the service of Tony Snell, who played terrific as a 3-and-D guy for head coach Jason Kidd. With $82 million in guaranteed salary, Milwaukee needs to be creative in order for them to keep their key player for next season’s grind.
Cap situation and notable incoming free-agents:
According to Dan Favale of Bleacher Report, the Bucks will have a projected starting cap space of under $13 million. Their spending power for this offseason will heavily hinge on the decision of Spencer Hawes ($6 million) and Greg Monroe ($17.8 million), who both can exercise player’s option for the 2017/18 season.
However, if these two bigs test the free-agency market, the Bucks will get at least $11 million in free-agency money to spend.
Unfortunately, the figure won’t be enough to keep Snell off the free-agency market. Favale thinks the Bucks must decide if they want to go over the cap and pay the luxury tax or let teams snag Snell with offers worth at least $15MM to $18MM.
After all, Snell earned the right for a pay hike after coming through with a poor man’s version of high-school teammate Kawhi Leonard, knocking down treys at 40 percent and locking down the best perimeter player on the opposing team (just ask DeMar DeRozan!)
Outside FA Targets:
Joe Ingles (Utah Jazz) – the Aussie had a breakout year this season with the Jazz after bouncing around the league the past 2-3 seasons. Many executives are very high on Ingles after putting up 7.1 points and 2.7 assists per game in the regular-season.
In case Snell gets a lucrative offer that the Bucks cannot match, Ingles appears to be an ideal option for the Bucks because of his length and ability to drain shots from beyond the arc at an efficient rate (44 percent). Luring him to play in Milwaukee, may not be a monumental task since they can use the service of Ingles’ Australian national team teammate Matthew Dellavedova,
Shabazz Muhammad (Minnesota Timberwolves) – Shabazz is another talented kid who cannot find a breakthrough in Minnesota’s rotation, partly because of former no.1 pick Andrew Wiggins.
After earning $3 million last year, Muhammad is bound for a pay-hike, though not as big as Snell is expected to get.
However, he has a chance to jack up his free-agency stock if he’s willing enough to sign a one-year, $10MM deal with the Bucks. With Jabari Parker expected to be sidelined for the first half of the 2017/18 season, Muhammad will have all the opportunity in the world to pad his stats and make him hot FA commodity the next summer.