Brandon Jennings told the Milwaukee Bucks the salary he’d require in order to stay with the team, according to Yahoo! Sports’ Marc J. Spears. The actual figure is undisclosed, so who knows whether it was a reasonable offer or some exorbitant figure meant to scare Milwaukee off. Jennings has basically tipped off that he’s interested in coming back to Milwaukee, so it’s probably closer to the former.
NBA free agent rumors: Brandon Jennings tells Bucks his salary demand
The stars seem to be aligning for Brandon Jennings’ return to the Milwaukee Bucks.
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The Bucks have said they’re intent on bringing Jennings back, whether via negotiation or by matching any offer sheet the restricted free agent signs with another team. If they means what they said -- that they’ll match any offer sheet he signs with another team -- they’d presumably meet Jennings’ salary demand as well.
With Monta Ellis opting out of his contract, the Bucks have cap room to spare and only half of the young combination of backcourt scorers they’d assembled via draft and the Andrew Bogut trade. If they let Jennings walk as well, they’ve essentially lost the two most talented players on their roster. Considering they haven’t been linked to any other big name free agents, letting Jennings go would be tantamount to tanking.
Jennings averaged 17.5 points last year to go along with a career high 6.5 assists. After less-than-enjoyable experiences under Scott Skiles and interim coach Jim Boylan, he would be getting to play under Larry Drew. He’s four years into his career but still just 23 years old. Although he still has issues with shot selection (only shooting above 40 percent from the field once), there’s room to grow for the Southern Cal native, although without a running mate, it’s tough to see the Bucks emerging from their seemingly perennial status as an also-ran.
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