The Milwaukee Bucks are in an interesting position this offseason. On the one hand, they have two superstars in Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard on their roster. Such duo will ensure that the team is, at the very least, a competitive regular season team. Khris Middleton being the Bucks’ third option is also an immense positive.
On the other, Milwaukee also has a few challenges this offseason. They are paying their top players so much money that they are in the second apron of the NBA luxury tax. This means that the only free agents they can sign are two-way players (and there is a limited amount of them) and veteran players willing to play for the league minimum.
With an aging roster, the Bucks are also faced with the need of developing young players who, while they may not play right away, will be able to contribute in the future. It was this need that drove their selections of AJ Johnson and Tyler Smith in the 2024 NBA Draft.
It is this need that also motivated the Bucks’ latest move in NBA free agency. According to Eric Nehm of The Athletic, Milwaukee signed former Detroit Pistons wing Stanley Umude to a two-way contract:
Like Bucks fan-favorite Bobby Portis, Umude played some of his college ball at Arkansas, where he averaged 11.9 points and 4.6 rebounds while shooting 37.1% from three.
Prior to transferring to Arkansas, Umude played for four years at South Dakota. His season there was the 2020-21 campaign when he averaged 21.6 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game while shooting 35% from three.
