NBA analyst identifies the one free agent that the Milwaukee Bucks will not allow to depart.

After losing to the Indiana Pacers in the opening round of the NBA Playoffs, the Milwaukee Bucks have a lot of questions about their squad. The Bucks’ squad was just not good enough to compete with the younger and faster Pacers, especially with Giannis Antetokounmpo out for the series due to a soleus strain and Damian Lillard dealing with an Achilles injury that hampered his movement in several games.
It’s time to make some difficult decisions as we approach the offseason. Although the Bucks’ core of Giannis, Lillard, Khris Middleton, and Brook Lopez is still under contract, a number of players are free agents who will either need to be allowed to leave in free agency or re-signed to veteran minimum deals—the only contracts the team can afford because they are in the second tier of the NBA salary cap luxury tax.
Thanasis Antetokounmpo, one of these free agents, recently suffered an Achilles tear and may not be able to play in the NBA in 2024–2025. Jae Crowder, another, hasn’t been very interested in going back to Milwaukee based on his recent social media posts.

Patrick Beverley desires a raise in addition to sticking with the Bucks. As previously said, the Bucks are unlikely to give him one. However, one NBA observer feels the Bucks should attempt to hold onto one pending free agent.

NBA Analyst Argues that the Milwaukee Bucks Must Bring Back Malik Beasley
Malik Beasley is an incoming free agent that the Bucks should try to keep, according to Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report, who made a list of the first moves every NBA team should make in free agency.

He writes:

“Money is already tight in Milwaukee, which casts an ominous cloud over the unrestricted free-agent status of several veterans. Malik Beasley, Patrick Beverley and Jae Crowder are all ticketed for the open market, and it’s hard to see the Bucks ponying up whatever it would take to keep all three.

“Crowder never quite fit the way he should have on paper, so if the Bucks can only afford one, it’d be between Beasley and Beverley. While the latter handled a heavier workload in the playoffs, the former still feels like the preference.

“Beasley’s skill tree may not have many branches, but it’s built around a three-ball that typically runs between warm and red-hot. Since Milwaukee will never have too many spacers around Giannis Antetokounmpo, it makes sense to prioritize the superior shooter.”

Beasley became the starting shooting guard and defensive stopper for the Bucks after joining the team, after Jrue Holiday was traded. Nobody can argue he didn’t give it his all, even though the team’s so-called stopper’s defense left a lot to be desired.

But when it came to shooting, Beasley lived up to the hype, if not exceeded it. With a career-high three-point percentage of 41.8%, he averaged 11.3 points per game. Only Ray Allen’s 229 from the 2001–02 season stands as the franchise record for most three-pointers made (244 this season).
Beverley began to play more defense late in the season, while Beasley came off the bench. But he demonstrated that he is more than capable of playing guard in the NBA starting lineup.

The Bucks will need to use every effort to persuade him that signing another veteran minimum deal would be worthwhile for him because other teams would be able to offer him a higher salary.