Bucks Sign John Butler To Non-Guaranteed Deal

The Bucks have officially signed big man John Butler, the team announced today in a press release. According to Eric Nehm of The Athletic (Twitter link), it’s a non-guaranteed training camp contract.

A 7’0″ center who had a 19-game stint with the Trail Blazers in 2022/23 after going undrafted out of Florida State, Butler has spent the last few seasons in the G League. He has suited up for the Stockton Kings, Capital City Go-Go, and Wisconsin Herd during that time.

This is the second straight year in which Butler has signed a preseason camp deal with Milwaukee. Last October, he was signed and waived near the end of the preseason in order to ensure the Bucks could give him an Exhibit 10 bonus after he reported to their G League affiliate. In all likelihood, that’s the plan again this fall, since there’s no clear path for him to make Milwaukee’s regular season roster, though the team does have one open two-way slot.

In 49 outings for the Herd last season, Butler averaged 9.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks in 28.6 minutes per game, posting a shooting line of .475/.363/.841. He subsequently spent a second straight July with the Bucks’ Summer League team, making eight total appearances at the California Classic and in Las Vegas.

The Bucks now have 20 players under contract, one away from the 21-man offseason limit.