Milwaukee Bucks: What’s Next for Brandon Jennings?
Brandon Jennings wants $12 million, and it’s looking less and less likely he’ll get it. Photo Credit: carl.elite24 (Flickr.com)
Brandon Jennings came into the offseason with huge expectations. As a restricted free agent with a ton of self-confidence, the Milwaukee Bucks’ 23-year-old point guard was looking for big money (somewhere in the range of $12 million per season) and, with the Bucks pursuing other interests, potentially a big market.
It’s now Friday, July 19. The big-money free agents are all gone. Big-market teams with money have spent it. The Milwaukee Bucks pursued point guard Jeff Teague, but his offer sheet was matched by the Atlanta Hawks. And so now, a conundrum. Based on their actions, the Bucks clearly aren’t interested in bringing back Jennings at anywhere near what he wants to be paid and after making an offer to another player that plays the same position (clearly with the intent of letting Jennings look elsewhere), Milwaukee may have rubbed their pseudo-franchise face the wrong way completely. So, with the market completely dry, what should the Milwaukee Bucks do with Brandon Jennings?
One thing is certain, the idea of Jennings re-signing in Milwaukee at a slightly discounted rate, say a one-year deal that allows him to become an unrestricted free agent next offseason, seems out of the question. The Bucks clearly do not feel he is a part of their future and the feeling is likely mutual. The Dallas Mavericks appeared to be a decent fit for the enigmatic point guard, but they opted to sign his former teammate, Monta Ellis, instead. Despite the fact that Jennings has been a pretty explosive player in his first four seasons as an NBA player, there just isn’t a market for a guy with his limitations on defense and as a creator when his inflated sense of self worth is factored in. A $12 million dollar per season extension for Jennings would make him the sixth(!) highest paid point guard in the entire NBA, ahead of guys like Stephen Curry, Ty Lawson and Rajon Rondo, and right in the range of Tony Parker. Brandon Jennings is a nice player, but his production on the floor simply does not command that type of compensation.
The move for Milwaukee here is to pursue a sign-and-trade. That sounds all well and good and there are plenty of situations that Brandon Jennings might slide into pretty nicely. The New York Knicks, for example, would be a terrific fit. Jennings could provide the Knicks with the second option they desperately covet. Unfortunately, the Knickerbockers don’t have the assets to pursue a deal or the cap space to orchestrate this type of trade. The Detroit Pistons are another team that would make a ton of sense. By signing Josh Smith, they have sent out a message that they are indeed looking to compete for the postseason in 2013-14 and upgrading at the point with a player like Jennings would help that cause. With what appears to be a log jam up front, the Pistons could send back one of their young bigs (Andre Drummond? Greg Monroe?) as compensation. But the Pistons would likely balk at paying Jennings what he is asking and giving up a young, talented big for an overpaid, shoot-first point guard isn’t exactly the best way to win back the confidence of a an already frustrated fan base.
The only way for this to work out for all parties is for Brandon Jennings to come down on what he is looking for from a salary standpoint. At $12 million per season, Jennings would become a brutal contract that few general managers would consider touching. But in, say, the $7 million to $9 million per year range? For a 23-year-old scorer with room to improve as a playmaker? You can bet teams would be extremely interested in some type of sign-and-trade with the Bucks and because Jennings is a free agent, he could pretty much dictate his landing spot. Milwaukee could land draft picks or young players in return, readying themselves for a retool around a talented, young front line that features Larry Sanders, Ersan Ilyasova and John Henson.
It has been a confusing offseason for the Bucks, who can’t seem to decide whether they want to stay in contention or begin a rebuild. Brandon Jennings is at the center of that. The Bucks have a decent amount of young talent in the fold and bringing back a disgruntled player with an inflated ego would be a nightmare for a roster full of players still developing. The relationship here is probably too fragmented for repair. But letting him walk for nothing, after they let Monta Ellis walk for nothing, might be counter productive.
If general manager John Hammond can find a way to talk Jennings off of his demands, sign the disgruntled point guard to a decent contract and immediately flip him for assets, he will have salvaged what has been a tumultuous summer in Milwaukee.