After trading Ersan Ilyasova for non-guaranteed contracts, the Milwaukee Bucks will have plenty of cap space this offseason. According to ESPN's Marc Stein, Milwaukee plans to use it to pursue a free-agent center, with Tyson Chandler and Brook Lopez as its top targets.
Bucks will target Brook Lopez, Tyson Chandler in free agency, per report
The Bucks will use their cap space to try to sign a starting center.
Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
The Bucks have a promising young core in place and made the playoffs as a No. 6 seed this past season, so they might believe that it’s time to make a big signing to remain relevant as their young players mature. At the same time, it might be a little early in the rebuilding process to add a high-priced veteran. Let’s take a closer look at this rumor.
Why it makes sense
The Bucks have two potential stars already in the roster in Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jabari Parker and enough talent to at least fight for a playoff spot in the East. To continue to build through the draft, they would have to trade away their complementary pieces and bottom out again. But that strategy also carries the risk of alienating fans at a crucial time in which the franchise is looking to build a new arena. If they can't tank, they might as well be as good as they can be now. Adding either Lopez or Chandler would certainly make them better.
While Milwaukee is set at the forward spots with Antetokounmpo and Parker, and could lock down another quality wing in restricted free agent Khris Middleton, center is not a position that has been permanently claimed. Zaza Pachulia has done a good job serving as a placeholder but is better suited for a backup role. The same applies to Miles Plumlee, while John Henson could still develop into a starter but lacks the bulk to guard post players. If the Bucks are looking to make a signing, it makes sense to ink a center.
Finally, this is likely the last year in a while in which the Bucks will be able to attract a free agent. Milwaukee will have cap space in the future, but so will every other team once the cap rises thanks to the league’s new TV deal. This is the time for the Bucks to overpay if they have to and get someone who can be part of their core for the next few years, as the young players develop.
Why it doesn’t make sense
Lopez or Chandler won't turn the Bucks into an immediate contender. They made the playoffs because they played in the East but as currently constructed, that roster is not good enough to get past the first round without significant internal improvement from Parker and Antetokounmpo. Since they can't tank, their cap space might be better used in the way the Thunder did before they handed out extensions to Durant and Westbrook: rent it out to teams trying to dump bad contracts for an asset. Some franchise always needs to shed salary to sign a free agent and the Bucks could get a future first-round pick to add to their war chest for their troubles.
Bringing in a veteran that will play a majority of the minutes may also stunt the development of Henson, who showed promise last season. If the front office is not convinced he can become a starting-caliber player they could use the 17th pick in the draft to select one of the many big men available. Lopez and Chandler are surely better than what the Bucks have now but are also older and more injury prone, so it’s not like there’s still some downside to signing either of them and the upside really isn’t all that great.
As for Milwaukee not being a free-agent destination and potentially struggling to attract a free agent in the future, that could all change if Antetokounmpo and Parker prove to be as good as they project to be. The Bucks might not be able to land a superstar in free agency, but solid players like Chandler and Lopez should be attainable if the team remains relevant.
Likelihood of happening: 8/10
The Bucks have cap space and a well-rounded roster which is most notably lacking shooting and a starting-caliber center. The new owners got a taste of what being in the playoffs feels like and surely want more. Coach Jason Kidd knows both Chandler -- from their time playing together in Dallas -- and Lopez -- from his time coaching him with the Nets -- so the fact that those two names are considered the targets lends credence to the rumor. Milwaukee will very likely try to get a center in free agency. It remains to be seen if it can land one.
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