We saw Milwaukee Bucks spend big money in free agency to keep Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez on their roster for years to come. But, it turns out Bucks’ spending spree reached its limits pretty quickly as they decided to let Malcolm Brogdon walk away.
The Athletic’s Shams Charania reports that Brogdon, who was a restricted free agent, reached a four year, $85 million deal with the Indiana Pacers. The 2017’s NBA Rookie of the Year isn’t coming to Indiana for free, however, as the Pacers agreed to send 2020 first-round pick and two future second-rounders to Milwaukee as part of the agreement.
Despite Brogdon’s success in the past three seasons, Bucks decided they could not meet the player’s demands in terms of a contract extension. With $178 million invested in Middleton and $52 million tied to Lopez, Milwaukee would be deep in the luxury tax and would lose salary flexibility if they were to pay Brogdon as well.
Malcolm Brogdon made 64 starts with the Bucks in the previous season, managing to average 15.6 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. He also shot 50.5 percent from the field, 42.6 percent from the 3-point line and made 92.8 percent of his free throws, which placed him in an exclusive 50/40/90 club.
