Re-Signing Giannis Antetokounmpo Is Key For Milwaukee Bucks
By Vijay Vemu
With their star player set to be a restricted free agent next summer, the Milwaukee Bucks need to act quickly to avoid any worries heading into the next offseason.
This offseason was one of the craziest in terms of salaries and the money teams threw at free agents. It caused chaos for the unrestricted free agents and even trouble for teams that had restricted free agents.
Guys like Tyler Johnson and Allen Crabbe, both restricted free agents, got massive offer sheets their original teams were forced to match and put them in a tough spot financially. But with another expected salary cap jump next offseason, it’s about to get crazier.
Next year the salary cap is about to jump to $102 million and likewise, max salaries will go up as well. This will also help the 2017 free agent class. Players like Stephen Curry, Blake Griffin, Chris Paul, Gordon Hayward, and Giannis Antetokounmpo are all set to hit free agency.
For the Milwaukee Bucks, they should be focused on that last name of the list and retaining him in free agency.
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Antetokounmpo, also known as “The Greek Freak,” has had a fantastic career so far with Milwaukee. Over his three seasons in Milwaukee, he has averaged 12.2 points, 6.3 rebounds and almost three assists per game.
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Along with maintaining a career field-goal percentage of around 48, Giannis has averaged double figures in scoring (12.7 in 2014, and 16.9 in 2015) the past two years. At 6’11”, Antetokounmpo uses his long arms to help him close space on defense and finish in the paint on offense.
He can also handle the ball, making him a viable option to bring the ball up the court. Jason Kidd reportedly considered running him at the point guard spot and finally did late last year. Now with him running it full time, he can become an absolute monster.
Having a near 7-footer being able to handle the ball and run the offense opens up so many options for the Bucks. If he can improve on his shooting, he can become a complete player and a potential superstar. But the Bucks need to focus on re-signing him first.
Giannis is set to become a restricted free agent next summer. Milwaukee can offer him a qualifying offer of around $4 million, but it is unlikely he will take that offer knowing what his value is on the open market.
It’s safe to say that Antetokounmpo is very worthy of a max contract considering that he is getting better each year (and growing too) and is a player you can build around. With that being said, the Bucks salary cap situation looks a little tricky to deal with in the first place.
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, who has been a part of a lot of trade rumors as the Bucks look to find a trading partner for the power forward, has a cap hold of around $17 million and has a player option on that deal. What the Bucks can do in free agency depends on if Monroe opts out or not.
Considering all the trade rumors surrounding him right now, there is a very good chance he does opt out. This would save the Bucks a lot of money, especially with Matthew Dellavedova‘s contract coming in along with the options on Jabari Parker, Tyler Ennis and Rashad Vaughn.
With that being said, it would be the best interest of the Bucks for them to re-sign Giannis before free agency even starts to avoid any hassle. Since Antetokounmpo is coming off his rookie contract, the Bucks can make the contract so that the money kicks in the following year.
The deadline for 2013 rookies to sign a max extension is Oct. 31 and it is extremely likely that he will accept the extension. So it would make the most sense for Milwaukee to get this finished before the end of October rolls around.
That would mean that he would be making max money in the 2018-19 year and would only be making the $4 million qualifying offer. The $13 million in cap space can open up a lot of options for the Bucks in free agency.
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Giannis is going to be courted by a lot of teams in free agency if he hits the open market. But the fantastic news for the Bucks is that he is restricted and that they can offer him the most money. It would be very wise of Milwaukee to lock him up before next year’s free agency.