Milwaukee Bucks face interesting choices in free agency

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Tony Snell played an important role for the Bucks last year. General manager Jon Horst and coach Jason Kidd are interested in having the restricted free agent back next season.

To some, the NBA's regular season and playoffs left something to be desired. It was fairly clear about 11 months ago that the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers were the two best teams and each had a clear path to a third straight trip to the NBA Finals.

That's exactly what happened, with no one really threatening the Cavaliers in the East and the Warriors going 16-1 in the playoffs on the way to the title.

But the NBA's second season — the off-season — already is making up for that lack of drama. Since the Finals ended June 12, the league has devolved into its annual summer madness.

On draft night, Chicago Bulls star Jimmy Butler was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves in a move that stole the show. On Wednesday, Phil Jackson, one of the greatest coaches and characters in the game's history, was ousted from his job as the New York Knicks president of basketball operations. That wasn't even the top news of the day, because the Los Angeles Clippers traded star guard Chris Paul to Houston for half of the Rockets' roster.

With a new league year — and the opening of free agency that comes with it — beginning Saturday, the craziness isn't likely to subside anytime soon.

For the Milwaukee Bucks, this doesn't look like a summer of blockbuster moves. But as quickly as things can change in the NBA and with a new general manager, it's impossible to count anything out.

"Obviously we've been making our preparations for that; we'll be ready to act accordingly," Bucks GM Jon Horst said. "We need to figure out roster spots, financial flexibility. There are some things that we need to look at and consider in free agency, but we're ready to do that and move forward here in the coming days."

The biggest limiting factor for the Bucks is they don't have a full roster yet and are already well beyond the salary cap. More than a year ago, the 2017-'18 salary cap was expected to be as much as $108 million, then the amount dwindled to $101 million.

Then came the lackluster playoffs, which included only 79 games. That meant lower revenue from the league's television partners, which dropped the cap projection to $99 million with a luxury tax threshold of $119 million.

Horst, who has become a salary-cap expert with the Bucks, will be challenged this summer to keep Milwaukee on the right side of that lower-than-expected cap.

Following the decisions of Greg Monroe and Spencer Hawes to pick up their player options for the upcoming season, the Bucks have about $108 million in salary tied up for 2017-'18. That money is split among 12 players and includes over $1.8 million going to Larry Sanders, whom the Bucks bought out in 2015 and stretched portions of that payment over seven years.

That $108 million does not account for first-round draft pick D.J. Wilson or any other draft rights the Bucks may acquire. It has been reported that Milwaukee intends to acquire the rights to Sterling Brown, who was drafted 46th overall by the Philadelphia 76ers, but that trade has not been finalized.

Milwaukee's salary figure also does not include restricted free agent Tony Snell, who had his best season as a professional with the Bucks last year. He started all 80 games he played while putting up some of the best shooting numbers on the team and solid defense — usually against the opposing team's best wing.

The Bucks have the ability to match any offer another team makes for Snell, and Horst and coach Jason Kidd have made it clear they value Snell and want to bring him back. However, retaining Snell could cause cap problems — possibly pushing the Bucks into the luxury tax — if that's the only move they make.

While the situation may seem difficult — smaller-market teams like Milwaukee almost never willingly go over the tax — there are options. The Bucks have the mid-level and bi-annual exceptions at their disposal as well as multiple trade exceptions. They also have all season to get under the tax, meaning they could make a move later.

If the Bucks make a trade this summer, they'd likely have to take on less salary than they send out. But it's also important to get the best value without compromising the future.

That may be difficult considering Milwaukee's best assets are also its youngest, and the ones the team is building around. Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is starting his four-year, $100 million contract, is perhaps the most untouchable player in the league considering his age (22) and incalculable upside. The Bucks' other core players — Jabari Parker, Khris Middleton, Thon Maker and Malcolm Brogdon — are all young and on favorable contracts, making it unlikely they'll be moved, especially considering Horst's view of team-building.

“My view in the world of the NBA is we need to build an extremely strong core at the top, a top group of star players," Horst said earlier this week on an ESPN Milwaukee radio program. "I think we’re well on our way in that regard. We need to have a core group of players from a depth perspective to support those guys and we need to have a roster that’s built with financial flexibility and roster flexibility that we’re able to adjust and make changes on the move when appropriate and when needed to take the next step. I think we have a lot of those pieces in place right now.”

That leaves a smaller group of players available should the Bucks want to create cap space. Horst also will have to decide if he even wants to keep all of them — with cutting someone possible if he found a player who he believes will fit better.

The number of possible outcomes creates plenty of drama, even for a team like the Bucks that doesn't have cap space or a likelihood of landing a superstar free agent. That's the magic of the NBA off-season.