Milwaukee Bucks: Who Will Make The Final Roster?

When RealGM.com broke the news today that Elijah Millsap has signed a non-guaranteed contract to attend the Milwaukee Bucks’ training camp, most fans were probably thinking the same thing: “why?”

The Bucks currently have 16 players under contract for next season with the recent addition of Jared Dudley. If you do the math, that’s one player too many if the Bucks plan to have the league maximum of 15 players on their roster come opening day.

So of course people have to ask: who is going to be cut? The safe money seems to be riding on small forward Chris Wright and his non-guaranteed contract getting the short stick and being given his walking papers. Which would make perfect sense as the Bucks seem to have an abundance of talent that can play forward, including Jabari Parker, Khris Middleton and the aforementioned Dudley.

But a lot will depend on who makes the Bucks starting lineup, which right now is still in flux. There is debate as to whether Parker would be better suited to play power forward and the fact that some, including Racine Journal Times writer Gery Woelfel have heard that John Henson could be the team’s starting center come opening night.

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If that’s indeed the case, then it could be

would could be on his way out. Pachulia is going into the second year of a three-year, $15.6 million contract and with a known lack of big men in the NBA, trading him shouldn’t be an issue, especially with the beginning of the season around the corner.

And then there are the continued rumors that both Ersan Ilyasova and O.J. Mayo are both being actively shopped around, the Bucks eager to part ways with their aging older players and their salaries. Ilyasova’s name has been mentioned pretty much non-stop since July with a BrewHoop.com poll suggesting that most fans are ready to part ways with him as long as the Bucks get something in return.

If the Bucks could move either of these two it would solve a lot of problems by opening up some cap room and possibly bringing the Bucks some more draft picks.

Short of that, If the Bucks decide they want to hold on to Wright for the time being, there is always the option of sending Johnny O’Bryant III down to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants to play in the D-League until the roster situation sorts itself out.

Shipping their 2014 second-round pick to the D-League isn’t the best option, but it seems to be working for the Oklahoma City Thunder. When the Thunder drafted Josh Huestis out of Stanford in the first round, it was with the understanding that he would play the entire season with the Tulsa 66ers.

Considered a new take on the “draft and stash” move, it could work for the Bucks if they have no other option.

Which brings us back to Elijah Millsap and his invitation to attend Bucks training camp. Millsap is a combo guard/forward, which is always a nice luxury for any team to have. Plus he proved that he could play during the summer leagues, where he averaged 11 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.8 steals per game with the Philadelphia 76ers squad.

It’s anticipated that the Bucks’ roster will be finalized within the next few weeks and that the starting five will be set shorty afterward. Until then, have fun trying to figure out who will stay and who will go. It’s always good when a team has as many options as the Bucks seem to have.