NBAFanhouse reports
Milwaukee is about to finalize a deal Thursday to re-sign guard John Salmons.
A source told FanHouse the deal is done except for a few minor points. Milwaukee general manager John Hammond had told FanHouse very early Thursday morning he had “guarded” optimism that Salmons would re-sign.
The source said the deal, which Salmons can’t sign until July 8, will be for five years for $39 million, with bonuses that could push it to $44 million. The fifth year, though, will be partially guaranteed, with that being one of the things still being worked out.
Wow, the Bucks are going to re-sign Salmons after acquiring Corey Maggette and Chris Douglas Roberts? Not to mention signing Drew Gooden earlier today.
Good Value, Bad Value?
I wasn’t comfortable with the thought of giving John Salmons the MLE. I thought he was too undependable and inconsistent to give a five year commitment to. Add in his age, 31 near the start of next season, and five year contract looks even more dodgy.
Instead of an MLE deal (five year, $32 million) deal, the Bucks are going to give Salmons between $39 and $44 million. An extra $1-2 million over what I thought was a negative contract already.
Underwhelming Use Of Cap Flexibility
The Milwaukee Bucks have spent far too much money on mediocre talent
- Trading for Corey Maggette – $30 million three years
- Signing Drew Gooden with MLE – $32 million five years
- Re-signing John Salmons – $39 million over five years
Also consider
- Andrew Bogut – $50 million and four years remaining on his deal
- Brandon Jennings – rookie contract, up for extension as Maggette’s deal expires
Those five players will combine to account for an average of $40 million over the next five years.
The Bucks were in great shape long term with the Bogut + Jennings contracts and the cost effective role players of Ersan Ilyasova and Mbah a Moute ($20 million between the four of them). They had bundles of cap space over the next few years to add high quality talent in order to develop the squad into a contender.
Now, once you consider the contracts of Ersan Ilyasova, Carlos Delfino and an extension for Mbah a Moute … the Bucks are basically at $50 million in payroll.
In summary, the Bucks have just wasted away nearly all of their cap flexibility on three so-so players (Maggette, Salmons, Gooden).
What Was The Point?
And for what? Are they a contender?
No, absolutely not.
Do they have young talent which can grow?
No, they signed a 29 year old and 31 year old players with their cap space. Players who have peaked and are likely beginning or soon to begin declining.
Conclusion
The Milwaukee Bucks had such a bright future and now their GM John Hammond has just throw it away.
Update: ESPN is reporting that the final year in John Salmons’ contract is not guaranteed. That would be an improvement for the Bucks. Still a bad deal but an improvement.
nbaroundtable.wordpress.com 