The Milwaukee Bucks will waive Spencer Hawes using the stretch provision.
Hawes is owed $6 million for the 17-18 season.
By waiving Hawes and using the stretch provision, the Bucks will get under the salary cap.
The Bucks acquired Hawes during the 16-17 season as part of a salary dump involving Marshall Plumlee.
The Milwaukee Bucks were reportedly close to a trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers for Kyrie Irving.
The Bucks reportedly offered Khris Middleton, Malcolm Brogdon and a first round pick for Irving. The Bucks could have paired Irving with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jabari Parker.
Cleveland traded Irving to the Boston Celtics for Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic and Brooklyn's 2017 first round pick.
O.J. Mayo wants to return to the Milwaukee Bucks when he's reinstated into the NBA after his two-year suspension.
Mayo violated the NBA's Anti-Drug program.
"I want to go back to what I left [in Milwaukee],” Mayo said. “I was real close with Jason Kidd. That was the best relationship I had with a coach besides [Barnes]. I had great relationships with Giannis [Antetokounmpo] and Khris Middleton. I was comfortable there. I felt like I let them down, cheated them for two years. They paid me $8 million to be, in my eyes, a subpar player. They invested millions of dollars for me to be on top of my s---, and when you’re not on top of your s---, it shows. If they just give me the chance, I can make it up. I owe them.”
Mayo says that if he had the same focused mindset he had at age 16 that he had a decade later, “we wouldn’t be sitting here talking right now.”
“I knew better,” Mayo said. “I knew guys in my neighborhood who should have made it somewhere but got stuck. I wasn’t raised like that.”
The Milwaukee Bucks are being accused by the Greek basketball federation of preventing Giannis Antetokounmpo from playing in the European championship.
About an hour after Antetokounmpo posted on Facebook and Instagram that he was unavailable because of a knee injury, the federation attacked the Bucks and the NBA in a statement, describing an "organized and well-staged plan" to keep Antetokounmpo from playing in the Eurobasket at the end of the month.
"The simultaneous report by the Milwaukee Bucks and Giannis Antetokounmpo himself, by phone and social media from faraway China, and not by the appropriate official manner, of his inability to join the national men's team saddens us ... but is not surprising," the federation said in the statement.
"A series of indications ... had convinced us of the existence of an organized and well-staged plan by (Antentokounmpo's NBA) team, with the full knowledge if not encouragement of the NBA that put the athlete on the spot and forced him to announce today that he is no longer part of the men's national team."
Takis Tsagronis, the federation general secretary, told state TV ERT that a scan revealed no problems with Antetokounmpo's knee.
"This (the player's absence) is bad but not unexpected news. All indications were that it would end up like that," Tsagronis said.
"We, on our side, did everything not to give the Bucks an excuse. We took a magnetic scan of Giannis' leg and it was clean. What the Bucks claim is not the reality; something else is happening."
Host Danny Leroux (@DannyLeroux), Nate Duncan of the Dunc’d On Basketball Podcast (@NateDuncanNBA) and Dan Feldman of NBC’s Pro Basketball Talk (@DanFeldmanNBA) go in-depth on the NBA’s Central Division.
They discuss how the Cavs, Bulls, Bucks, Pistons and Pacers fared in the off-season and predict the season to come, including projected finish, breakout players and rookies they are most excited to see.
Sponsored by Audible (http://www.audible.com/realgm) and Blue Apron (http://blueapron.com/RealGM)
Giannis Antetokounmpo's current Nike deal expires in September, which will make him the best available free agents in terms of shoe endorsements.
Kristaps Porzingis agreed upon a seven-year deal worth $5 million annually with Adidas last summer, which will likely set the starting for negotiations on offers for Antetokounmpo.
"The bar was set with Porzingis, in terms of financials," says one brand source.
Antetokounmpo could sign a deal worth as much as $7 million-$10 million per year.
"I've always said that I think he's one of those guys that has the potential to transcend his market," his agent Alex Saratsis tells ESPN. "I think he's showing that he can do that. I think he's one of the few players that could have a truly global appeal."
Antetokounmpo will be looking for a signature shoe as part of his new deal.
The Milwaukee Bucks have sold their jersey sponsorship to Harley-Davidson.
The Bucks feature a green, cream and blue color scheme while Harley has a black, orange and white bar and shield logo.
“We think we found the absolute perfect partner for this,” said Matt Pazaras, the Bucks’ senior vice president of business development and strategy.
“You have somebody with a history that starts here in Milwaukee, a very long history — their 115th anniversary is next year — (and) they have a global presence and global reach much like the NBA. … The thing for me that sent it over the top and why we’re so excited is to have a consumer brand that drives so much passion. Yes, the (Harley-Davidson) logo’s going to be on our uniforms, but people tattoo it on their bodies. Something that drives that much passion from a consumer side is incredibly exciting for us.”
The Wisconsin Herd, the NBA G League affiliate of the Milwaukee Bucks, named Jordan Brady as the team’s first head coach.
Brady brings substantial NBA minor league experience as a former player and assistant coach with multiple organizations.
“The Wisconsin Herd is an important component in building a championship-caliber team in Milwaukee, and Jordan brings the grit, leadership and vision necessary to spark that process in Oshkosh,” said Wisconsin Herd General Manager Dave Dean. “Jordan has the right experience and tools to develop young talent and build the foundation for a successful NBA G League team. We are excited to have him at the helm for the Herd in our inaugural season.”
Brady, 34, spent the 2016-17 season as an assistant coach for the Salt Lake City Stars, the NBA G League affiliate of the Utah Jazz. He was previously an assistant coach with the Idaho Stampede (2015-16), where he was retained by the organization to assist with relocating the team to Salt Lake City in 2016.
Brady served as an assistant coach for the Los Angeles D-Fenders (2014-15) and an assistant for the Bakersfield Jam (2013-14) and the Iowa Energy (2012-13).
The New York Knicks are hiring Craig Robinson for a front office role.
Robinson is the brother-in-law of Barack Obama.
Robinson formerly coached at Oregon State and was a teammate at Princeton of Steve Mills.
Robinson had served as vice president of player and organizational development for the Milwaukee Bucks since 2016.
Milwaukee Bucks Wiretap RSS Feed