One year after deciding they didn't need him anymore, the Milwaukee Bucks have brought back free-agent wing Carlos Delfino. The Bucks will ink him to a three-year deal worth about $10 million total, but the final year is a team option, essentially making it a two-year, $6.5 million contract.
Carlos Delfino gives Bucks an affordable veteran on the wing
The Bucks brought back a familiar face to provide some much-needed shooting after losing J.J. Redick and Mike Dunleavy.
The move is positively Bucksian, in that the team took on a veteran they knew already who won’t move the needle much for a team that isn’t going anywhere. However, I have less of a problem with this signing than the Zaza Pachulia one because Delfino at least plays a position of need and will cost half as much for half as many years.
I’m not sure Delfino will duplicate his shooting from last season, but he’s still a useful player. He can act as a secondary playmaker, particularly on pick-and-rolls that set up other actions, spot up off other players and defend a little against the top wing scorers. He’s not great in any one area, but he’s decent in several, making him a fine all-purpose wing in a playoff rotation. Houston had him playing a lot of power forward and doing less ball-handling, which helped him shoot well, but probably wasn’t a great way to take advantage of his other skills.
Obviously, the Bucks aren't going to be an impact team next year, but I still think the signing is defensible. Unlike Pachulia, Delfino plays a position of need and provides a skill (shooting) that the Bucks have in short supply, particularly after losing J.J. Redick and Mike Dunleavy. Even bad teams need some experienced players who know what they're doing, so long as they come affordably. We can't knock the Bucksian nature of this deal too much considering the Rockets, a team with an organizational philosophy 180 degrees removed from Milwaukee that expected to be rebuilding before trading for James Harden, signed Delfino to a similar contract last year. That would be somewhat inconsistent logically.
Therefore, I think this deal is fine. Not great, obviously, but fine.
GRADE: B-
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