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The Milwaukee Bucks will be tested this offseason as Malcolm Brogdon, a restricted free agent and key contributor to the team’s winning core, will undoubtedly be offered an expensive contract when the market opens on Sunday, June 30th.
ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne and Brian Windhorst are reporting Brogdon, the former Rookie of the Year, will have interest from teams including the Chicago Bulls, Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns, and Dallas Mavericks in restricted free agency.
Under restricted free agency, however, Milwaukee has the right to match any offer from another organization.
That may be easier than it sounds, though, as the Bucks are trying to pay multiple impending free agents this summer and bring back their core, which helped reigning league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo take the Bucks to the Eastern Conference Finals this past postseason.
Forward Khris Middleton, who made his first All-Star team this season, and center Brook Lopez are free agents, too. Milwaukee will likely shell out a maximum contract to retain Middleton’s talents for Brew City. Lopez, however, may turn out to be too expensive for the Bucks’ liking, who are already searching for trade partners to cut bait with forward Ersan Ilyasova and his two-year, $14 million contract.
Brogdon receiving interest from multiple teams is unsurprising, as the 6-foot-5 guard has put up impressive numbers in his brief, three-year NBA tenure. Brogdon averaged 12.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game in 187 appearances while shooting 48.4% from the floor, 40.8% from three, and 89.5% from the free throw line — a bona fide 50/40/90 candidate in the non-all-star variety.
For other teams, the Bulls are looking for strong guard play in spite of drafting point guard Coby White at seven at the 2019 NBA Draft; the Celtics are searching for Kyrie Irving’s likely replacement; the Suns need to pair Devin Booker with a distributive floor general; and the Mavericks want to raise reigning Rookie of the Year Luka Doncic’s ceiling to unseen heights.
