Hoops Habit
Fansided

Milwaukee Bucks Agree To 3-Year, $30 Million Deal For Mirza Teletovic

By Kenneth Teape

Mar 14, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Mirza Teletovic (35) celebrates after making the game winning shot in the closing seconds of the fourth quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Talking Stick Resort Arena. The Suns defeated the Timberwolves 107-104. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 14, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Mirza Teletovic (35) celebrates after making the game winning shot in the closing seconds of the fourth quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Talking Stick Resort Arena. The Suns defeated the Timberwolves 107-104. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

The Milwaukee Bucks have signed stretch-4 Mirza Teletovic to a three-year, $30 million deal.

The Milwaukee Bucks came into the 2015-16 season with pretty high expectations. After surprising a lot of people and qualifying for the playoffs in the 2014-15 season, the Bucks came up woefully short of expectations, finishing with a record of 33-49.

One of the areas they struggled with was three-point shooting. Their first move of the 2016 free agency period was aimed at fixing that, as the Bucks agreed to a three-year, $30 million deal with stretch-forward Mirza Teletovic.

The deal was first reported by ESPN’s Marc Stein.

The Bucks finished dead last in the NBA in made three-pointers last season, averaging only 5.4 makes per game. They were below average in three-point percentage as well, making only 34.5 percent of their three-point shots during the season. That mark tied them for 21st in the NBA with the Detroit Pistons.

In his career, Teletovic is a 37.5 percent shooter from deep, so he will fill an immediate need for the Bucks right off the bat. Last season with the Phoenix Suns, Teletovic knocked down 39.3 percent of his attempts from deep.

Live Feed

Where does the Milwaukee Bucks' Big 3 rank among the NBA's best?
Where does the Milwaukee Bucks' Big 3 rank among the NBA's best? /

Behind the Buck Pass

  • Bucks' jersey number changes and updates for 2023-24 NBA seasonBehind the Buck Pass
  • Current Milwaukee Bucks who could have their jersey numbers retiredBehind the Buck Pass
  • Grade the trade: Bucks add established backup guard in swap with WizardsBehind the Buck Pass
  • Reviewing Bleacher Report's horrible trade idea for the Milwaukee BucksBehind the Buck Pass
  • 3 Milwaukee Bucks who could see more time than fans expect in 2023-24Behind the Buck Pass

    • Only two players on the Bucks’ roster shot better than that last season, as Jerryd Bayless led the was at 43.7 percent and Khris Middleton made 39.6 percent of his long range attempts. O.J. Mayo was the only other player that made at least one three-pointer per game for the Bucks last season, connecting at a 32.1 percent clip.

    The signing of Teletovic is huge for the Bucks from that perspective, as two of those three players will not be returning next season. Bayless agreed to a three-year deal with the Philadelphia 76ers earlier in free agency, while Mayo was dismissed and disqualified from the league for violating the league’s anti-drug program.

    There were also rumors that the Boston Celtics were trying to pry Middleton away from the Bucks prior to the 2016 NBA Draft. While that never came to fruition, the Celtics could come back to the Bucks and try acquiring Middleton later in the offseason if they are unable to lure any big name free agents to their team.

    Teletovic fits a glaring need for the Bucks and should slide seamlessly into their lineup. Standing 6’9″, Teletovic has played a majority of his time at power forward in his NBA career. While he doesn’t do anything you would expect out of a power forward, and he doesn’t rebound very well, he can shoot the ball from deep as the perfect stretch-4.

    Teletovic should fit in with the Bucks’ second unit backing up Jabari Parker, who is entrenched as the starting power forward and future of the franchise along with Giannis Antetokounmpo. John Henson is listed as a power forward, but he has played a majority of his time (73 percent to be exact, according to Basketball-Reference) at center during his NBA career.

    Teletovic is a good match next to Henson, as their strengths and weaknesses complement each other well. Teletovic would also fit alongside Greg Monroe offensively, but defensively the Bucks would be a sieve as neither Teletovic nor Monroe protect the rim or play much defense in general.

    Teletovic is coming off a career season with the Suns, putting up 12.2 points with 3.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. He also set the NBA single-season record for most three-pointers made by a bench player. Prior to that, Teletovic played the first three seasons of his career with the Brooklyn Nets.

    That time spent with the Nets earlier in his career could be a reason why he signed with the Bucks. In his second season in the NBA, Teletovic had a bit of a coming out party, knocking down 39 percent of his three-pointers and averaging 8.6 points per game as he made an impact for the first time.

    More hoops habit: Kevin Durant's Free Agency Destination Power Rankings

    His head coach during that season? None other than the Bucks’ current head coach, Jason Kidd, who signed a three-year extension earlier this offseason to stay with Milwaukee.

    Home/Milwaukee Bucks