NBA Rumors: Milwaukee Bucks Giving $52 Million To Miles Plumlee


Millions of dollars are still being handed out in the NBA. According to ESPN, the Milwaukee Bucks are signing Miles Plumlee to a four-year contract worth approximately $52 million. Even with the higher salary cap, that is still a lot of money for someone that played less than 15 minutes a game last season.

Last season, Miles Plumlee started 14 games for the Milwaukee Bucks. That was during the stretch where head coach Jason Kidd decided to send Greg Monroe to the bench. The franchise desperately needed some offensive punch off the bench, so Kidd decided to use Monroe as a spark plug on the second unit.

There is a very good chance that Miles Plumlee becomes the starting center for the Milwaukee Bucks next season. He is a much better fit with Jabari Parker and Giannis Antetokounmpo than Greg Monroe, a traditional center that likes to score with his back to the basket.

Of course, there is also the chance that Greg Monroe is playing with another NBA team this fall. The Milwaukee Bucks are said to be interested in trading the 6-foot-11 center. Monroe would be a much better fit with a team that plays a slow paced offense as opposed to one that is trying to outrun opponents.

Miles Plumlee would have to beat out John Henson for the starting center position if the Milwaukee Bucks are successfully able to find an NBA team that is willing to take on Greg Monroe and his $50 million contract. Henson was recently signed to a four-year contract extension worth approximately $44 million, as reported by SB Nation.

With the NBA leaning more towards smaller lineups, it is interesting that the Milwaukee Bucks have chosen to spend so much money on centers. There will not be a lot of situations where two of these guys can spend an extended amount of time on the court together.

Giannis Antetokounmpo [Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images]
In fact, the Milwaukee Bucks are trying to assemble the most dynamic lineup in the NBA. With the tenth pick in the draft, the Bucks selected Thon Maker, as reported by CBS Sports. He is a 7-foot-1 forward who can play like a guard.

The Milwaukee Bucks also have a 6-foot-11 forward in Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is being groomed for the point guard position. Between Antetokounmpo and Thon Maker, the Bucks are going to be able to create all sorts of mismatches. They do not seem like a team that needs traditional centers.

Some in the NBA are surprised that Miles Plumlee is receiving a contract this big, as there were not a lot of interest in him from other teams. Thus far in his short career, Plumlee has been traded away by the Indiana Pacers and Phoenix Suns.

Greg Monroe [Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images]
With all of the talent that the Milwaukee Bucks have accumulated over the years, there is now a ton of pressure on Jason Kidd to take them to the NBA Playoffs. The franchise only won 33 games last season, which placed them at the 12th spot in the Eastern Conference.

Jason Kidd has a very close relationship with one of the Milwaukee Bucks owners. They are personal friends. However, when the general manager spends millions of dollars to put together a talented roster, it is hard to keep a head coach in place when he is not consistently contending for the NBA Championship.

The odds of Miles Plumlee becoming an All Star and leading the Milwaukee Bucks into the NBA Playoffs are very slim. However, that is not why management decided to hand over millions of dollars to the former Duke Blue Devils star. They simply need him to be a piece of the puzzle.

[Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images]

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