In a not-so-surprising move, the Bucks have signed second round draft pick Nate Wolters, the 38th overall selection in the June draft. A four-year star at South Dakota State, Wolters averaged 22.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 5.8 assists per contest as a senior.
The Washington Wizards originally selected Wolters with the 38th pick overall, but after five to ten minutes of confusion that crippled Twitter, the Bucks emerged with his rights--but not before the Philadelphia 76ers first acquired his rights and then sent him to Milwaukee in exchange for the 43rd overall pick (Ricky Ledo) and a future second round pick. And in case you're scoring at home, Ledo eventually wound up in Dallas after the Mavs shipped a 2014 second rounder to Philly for his rights.
The terms of the deal have not been disclosed (as per team policy), but we should probably expect something similar to the three-year deals that former Bucks second rounders Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, Jodie Meeks and Doron Lamb received previously. Assuming it's for above the minimum in year one, Wolters' deal would eat into cap room a bit but should still leave Milwaukee with over $7m left in cap space remaining--should they find a need for it.
Also of note, this puts the Bucks with 16 guaranteed contracts on their roster, one above the maximum amount allowed during the regular season. The knee-jerk reaction is that Slava Kravtsov's $1.5 million guaranteed deal will be waived, but that doesn't necessarily have to be the only option.
Now that the Bucks roster is pretty much set for next year, they have a good amount of time before they have to make a decision on how to get down to 15 players. As has been noted in a variety of places, big man Ekpe Udoh could be facing an uphill climb in an effort to get minutes, so maybe a 2-for-1 deal involving him and another part could be in the works eventually. There's no need to rush into exploring that type of deal though, as that's just one of a few options the Bucks could entertain in the next few months.
More from Brew Hoop:
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- Brandon Jennings traded to Pistons, Bucks acquire Brandon Knight
- Brandon Jennings joins Pistons squad looking to jumpstart drive to contention.
- Examining the other parts of the Bucks-Pistons trade