The Milwaukee Bucks ended a solid season on a sour note, falling in six games to the Toronto Raptors in the Eastern Conference Finals. Now, the team is faced with a challenging offseason, as three of their starters are set to become free agents.
Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry, however, pledged to do his best to bring the core players back.
“Our goal is to keep everybody. And we’re going to do everything in our power to keep the nucleus of our team,” Lasry said in an interview with Frank Isola of The Atheltic.
Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez are unrestricted free agents, while Malcolm Brogdon is a restricted free agent. All three will be looking for increased contracts after playing excellently this 2018-19 season.
Middleton earned his first All-Star honor this season, and he is considered as the team's second option behind Giannis Antetokounmpo. He played very good perimeter defense and shot 38 percent from downtown. With that said, there is a good chance he will be looking for a max contract, or something close to it.
Lopez's play was possibly the biggest surprise for the Bucks season. After making a total of 249 three-pointers in the first 10 seasons of his career, Lopez knocked down 187 threes in the regular season this year. Even more remarkable, he registered a a solid 37 percent shooting clip from beyond the arc.
Big men who can stretch the floor are in high demand across the league, and the Bucks will have some competition to resign Lopez.
Brogdon was nearly as impressive as the first two players listed. He put together the coveted 50-40-90 stat line, shooting 51 percent from the field, 43 percent from the 3-point line, and 92 percent from the stripe. Losing him would be a blow to the Bucks' offense.
All of these players are great contributors. The Bucks will need a little luck and possibly some discounts to get them all back. Good luck, Mr. Lasry.
Follow Us
Subscribe