1. Do not guarantee Ersan Ilyasova.
The definition of an NBA journeyman, Ersan Ilyasova has played for six clubs in his 12-year career. He started his career with the Milwaukee Bucks back in 2006-07 as a 19-year-old. After the first season in the NBA, he then played two in Europe before returning to the Bucks..
Ilyasova has never been a star but he has played the role of a stretch-four well over the years. His career numbers are 10.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 23.3 minutes per game. However, his last two seasons have been well below average.
He shot the 3-ball at 36.3 percent in the 2018-19 season and then at 36.5 percent last season. He is starting to shoot the ball less and less, taking 2.2 per game last season. He also averaged only 15.7 minutes per game.
Outside of his rookie season, his last two seasons were the first full seasons where he averaged under 7.0 points per game. While these are great numbers for a role player, he is due $7.0 million next year if he is guaranteed. That price is too steep for the returns.
The Bucks have the 24th pick in the draft and this is the avenue they should use to replace Ilyasova. They will potentially be able to replace the production of Ilyasova at a fraction of the cost. Given that they already owe $137 million in salary, they need to save some money somewhere.