After waiving DeAndre Liggins prior to the NBA’s guarantee deadline for non-guaranteed contracts on Sunday, the Bucks opened up a roster spot.
What happened first, was odd.
Shams Charania of The Vertical first reported that the Bucks planned to sign Herd guard Xavier Munford to a two-way deal.
The problem with this? Well, the Bucks didn’t have a vacant two-way deal slot, as both were currently occupied by Joel Bolomboy and Sean Kilpatrick.
Earlier today, the Bucks officially announced the signing of Munford, and added that Bolomboy’s two-way deal would be converted to an NBA level contract.
At this point, it seemed that the Bucks’ roster moves were all set, having 15 guaranteed contracts and 2 two-way players (Kilpatrick and Munford). A few hours later, however, Shams added a new twist into the fold:
Wait, what?
This was a head-scratcher, as this twist came out of left field, just hours after the Bucks had announced Bolomboy’s contract had been extended for the remainder of the season. The Bucks did something similar at the beginning of the year, when they opted to waive now-Rockets guard Gerald Green after presumably making final roster cuts.
This string of events was not GM Jon Horst changing his mind, it was planned all along.
Kilpatrick is now guaranteed through the remainder of the season, and Bolomboy will pass through NBA waivers, instead of two-way waivers. There would have been a higher chance that Bolomboy would have been claimed in two-way waivers than NBA waivers, so this move, though complicated, was well-thought out by Horst. The Bucks will reportedly try to get Bolomboy back on the Herd, but do not be surprised if he heads elsewhere.
On top of all of this, the Bucks have a vacant two-way deal (Munford is the only current occupant) that can be occupied prior to January 15th. Should they choose to fill this spot, the occupant will have pro-rated time in Milwaukee, with a range of 20-25 days depending on when the contract is signed.
Did the Bucks get it right? Comment your thoughts below!
