Bucks plan to waive Gary Payton II, add new player

HOUSTON - Gary Payton II has exhausted nearly all 45 of his NBA days of service as part of his two-way contract, playing in 12 games including six starts while the Milwaukee Bucks have dealt with a series of injuries.

With his maximum days of service due to finish Monday, the Bucks plan to waive Payton and use his spot on another player, according to a source. The team already has its eye on a player to add and per the source needs to move quickly in order to bring that player into the fold.

According to ESPN's Chris Haynes, Sean Kilpatrick is the player the Bucks are seeking to add. Kilpatrick was released by Brooklyn last week as part of the Jahlil Okafor trade. Kilpatrick, who played for the Bucks' summer league team in 2015, has averaged 11.3 points over 121 NBA games with three teams.

Per NBA rules, a two-way player added during the season will not be eligible for the full 45 days of service with the NBA squad. Rather, that player will be able to play a pro-rated amount, which at this point in the season is expected to be around 30. The rest of that player's time would be spent with the Wisconsin Herd, the Bucks' G League affiliate.

Payton hardly spent any time with the Herd, logging 96 minutes over three games in the G League. He's played 105 minutes for the Bucks over 12 games, averaging 2.7 points per game. He's been around the Bucks nearly every day for the past six weeks, going on trips and participating in practices and shootarounds in addition to playing in games.

A member of the Bucks since being picked up in April, Payton has drawn praise from his teammates for his hard work and willingness to fill in when called upon. According to a source, the decision to waive Payton is not a reflection of how the organization feels about Payton. Rather, the organization saw an opportunity to add another player and wanted to make it happen.