Milwaukee Bucks guard Malcolm Brogdon is heading for restricted free agency this offseason. In the shadows of not just Giannis Antetokounmpo, but also Khris Middleton, Brogdon is the forgotten piece of this Bucks team.
Eric Bledsoe got paid, Brook Lopez attracted attention as the bargain of the season. Brogdon, though missed when he was injured for the end of regular season and most of the playoffs, was not the talking point.
Brogdon was asked about his free agency after Milwaukee’s Game Six loss to Toronto.
He said, “I don’t know. We’ll see.” As reported by Eric Nehm on Twitter.
The Bucks are not going to keep Lopez, Middleton, Brogdon and Nikola Mirotic. Middleton will get the max contract somewhere after his performances this season, Mirotic and Lopez will get significant pay raises and multi-year deals. Brogdon is the unknown – how much will someone pay him?
Probably a lot.
He’s a combo-guard who can defend, shoot the three, create shots and get to the rim. That’s before we mention that he joined the rare 50/40/90 club this season on a decent volume of shots while averaging 15.6 per game.
It’s possible, though unlikely after his injury, that Brogdon gets the max somewhere. He does a lot of things very well, and there’s a long list of teams that could do with a complementary piece like him to accompany their core stars.
Milwaukee have big decisions to make. This offseason could be definitive for the franchise, as they try to show Giannis they can build a competitive core around him before they offer him a supermax extension in the summer of 2020.
With Bledsoe already signed, does Brogdon drop down the priority list? Will Lopez and Middleton get paid instead? How high an offer from elsewhere would Milwaukee be willing to match?
Brogdon hasn’t featured on the ‘top free agent’ lists in the months – even years – building up to this offseason. He’s not going to change the hopes of a franchise like Kevin Durant or Kawhi Leonard, but he’s an underrated option this offseason.
The big-market teams who have bucket loads of cap space could move for Brogdon if they miss out on the All-NBA guys. Smaller markets, like Atlanta and Utah, could be interested as they look to add backcourt partners for Trae Young and Donovan Mitchell respectively.
His restricted free agency isn’t going to be at the top of the NBA news, but it’s a story we will be keeping an eye on in the coming weeks. Brogdon’s situation is fascinating this offseason.
