Milwaukee Bucks: Grading the offseason moves at the halfway mark

2. Letting Michael Beasley walk in free agency

It should first be pointed out that Michael Beasley left of his own accord, signing a veteran minimum contract with the New York Knicks. With the Bucks toeing the luxury tax line — one they cannot cross at any cost — they were limited in what they could offer Beasley himself, but they could have certainly matched what the Knicks paid.

But that doesn’t mean the team doesn’t watch him balling out in New York and wish they had found room for him. Beasley is playing a reserve role for the Knicks, playing less than 20 minutes, but has been dynamic during those minutes. He has scored in double figures in 13 of his last 15 games.

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On a per-minute basis, Beasley has been the epitome of a microwave scorer, a wing large enough to play either forward position with the ability to step off the bench and into the box score. Per ESPN’s Micah Adams, Michael Beasley is “one of just eight forwards to average at least 20 points per 36 minutes in each of the past three seasons, joining an illustrious crew that includes LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Blake Griffin, Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis and Jimmy Butler.”

The Bucks have been struggling to score the basketball when Giannis Antetokounmpo has been off the court, a problem that plagues many teams with superstar players but still needs to be addressed. Last season Beasley thrived in very limited minutes backing up Antetokounmpo, and with Jabari Parker and Mirza Teletovic out with significant injuries, he would have been a welcome piece again this year.

Whether the team would have needed to move a mountain to retain Beasley or could have brought him back at a reduced price, it would have been a major boon to the team. Instead, the Bucks watch from afar as he hits highlight reel shots in the Big Apple, wondering what it would have taken to keep the explosive player in a green uniform.

Grade: C