The Milwaukee Bucks’ in-season signings of Jae Crowder , Goran Dragic, and Meyers Leonard have proven once again how savvy the team’s front office is. However, for every successful pickup, there are also ones that just don’t pan out. Here are some of the worst signings in Milwaukee Bucks’ history.
Larry Sanders
The Bucks believed they finally found their big man of the future in Sanders, a 6-foot-11 big man with natural defensive instincts that helped him block nearly three shots per game during the 2012-2013 season. During that breakout campaign, the VCU product also nearly averaged a double-double with 9.8 points and 9.5 rebounds per game.
Nobody could really blame the Bucks for giving Sanders a four-year, $44 million contract after that season. However, that proved to be the high point of his career, as he would play in just 50 games in the next two seasons due to numerous injuries. The final nail in his career’s coffin came in the form of two drug-related suspensions the league imposed upon him. Not long after the second one, the Bucks cut ties with Sanders, buying out the remainder of his contract.
Miles Plumlee
To this day, the Bucks’ decision to give Miles Plumlee a four-year, $50 million contract in 2015 remains baffling. The then-27-year-old was coming off a season where he averaged a pedestrian 3.2 points and 2.4 rebounds per game, so it made no sense for the Bucks to offer such a lucrative deal. As expected, Plumlee’s production didn’t improve much in the following seasons, and Milwaukee eventually traded him in 2018.
Mirza Teletovic
After a banner season for the Phoenix Suns, where he averaged 12.2 points on nearly 40% shooting from three, the Milwaukee Bucks snagged the sharpshooter from Bosnia and Herzegovina and gave him a three-year, $31.5 million contract. However, his Bucks stint wasn’t as fruitful as he played in a total of 80 games in two seasons and only 10 in his second season due to various injuries. He ended his Bucks career with pedestrian averages of 6.5 points on 38% shooting, numbers hardly worthy of such a big contract. Teletovic eventually retired from the NBA and basketball.
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