The Milwaukee Bucks are unlikely to bring back Monta Ellis, a player they were hoping to retain to be the future and rebuilding piece for them. Instead, they may have to go with Brandon Jennings.According to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, the Bucks are determined to retain Jennings in NBA Free Agency 2013. Jennings has already been receiving interest from multiple NBA teams, and many have the Dallas Mavericks as his next destination.
The free agency period opens up this Monday, and the Bucks are looking to sign their 23-year-old they drafted in the first round of the 2010 NBA Draft to a long-term contract. Milwaukee already has a $4.3 million qualifying offer made, but it will likely be matched soon. The Bucks will be in a bidding war for Jennings and they look to do enough to keep him.
"It's our intention for Brandon Jennings to remain a Milwaukee Buck," Bucks general manager John Hammond said. "We're hoping to negotiate with him fairly through the July process.
"At the conclusion of our negotiations if we have not reached a deal and they choose to go out and seek an opportunity in the open market, our intention then would still be to match."
The Bucks hope to begin a new future around Jennings, and they were able to open up some hope with Greek forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, who many have compared to Kevin Durant, and South Dakota state guard Nate Wolters.
Jennings has had some fond memories here in Milwaukee, and many remember much from his rookie season that he had promise, especially from his 55-point game that put him on the NBA map. Jennings never has had trouble scoring points in his career, but it's always been how many times he shoot and what shots he decides to take.
Jennings averaged 17.5 points and 6.5 assists per game this season. Solid numbers, but he shot only 39.9-percent from the field, along with 37.5-percent from behind-the-arc. For his career, Jennings has averaged 17 points and 5.7 assists per game, but 39.4-percent from the field and 35.4-percent from the three-point line.
Jennings has a lot of potential, but his shooting decisions will need to improve.
"He's been tremendous and he's been very positive," Hammond said of his conversations with Jennings.
Ellis is out of the question, and now the Bucks are left with Jennings. He's young and has a lot of ways to go. He's shown to be pretty solid and a future NBA star so far in his career. Milwaukee hopes to continue their route on improving Jennings, because you never know how well he can do if he were to land with a team like the Mavericks.
Looks like Milwaukee is willing to take the risk, as they hope to cash out on a monumental award.
