Report: Bucks Sign Meyers Leonard For Remainder Of Season

After last night’s game, the ten-day contract of Meyers Leonard expired. As his second consecutive ten-day deal of the season with the Bucks, the franchise was then compelled to either sign him for the rest of this year or let him become a free agent again. No news came out in the past 17ish hours since the clock struck midnight—in Milwaukee, anyway—so it could have been inferred that he was no more for the team.

However, about 30 minutes ago we got this Woj-pop rock (even grenade feels too strong for this move):

His twenty days as a Buck haven’t been notable for anything on the court. In just 34 minutes of action over five games, Leonard has 14 points, 10 rebounds (2 offensive!), a steal, and two turnovers on 4/10 shooting (all but one attempt from outside the arc). He also went to the line once and hit both free throws.

What made bigger news, though, is that the above represents Leonard’s first game action in over two calendar years. After dealing with a shoulder injury that ultimately required surgery in February 2021, he got in hot water for using an anti-semitic slur on a video game live stream about a month later. Those two circumstances, and an ankle surgery that followed soon after, all combined to keep him out of the league until here in early 2023.

We’ve covered Leonard significantly in recent weeks, and it appears he made a good-faith effort to correct his past transgressions by not only apologizing but liaising with the Jewish community. While it’s understandable that some may still remain skeptical of him, the Bucks—governed (for now at least) by a Jewish owner in Marc Lasry—opted to give him a second chance. Though his play wasn’t by any means outstanding, he fills a depth role at center behind Brook Lopez and often-5s Bobby Portis and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Should any of them miss time, he’s likely to see action.

With this move, the fifteen-man roster remains full. Leonard will earn a pro-rated portion of the league minimum salary for the rest of 2023’s league year, which by my quick math, amounts to approximately $295k. If you care about such things, it also adds another $1.2m onto Milwaukee’s luxury tax bill, which is already third-highest in the league.

Now that Leonard is under contract from here out and the Bucks filled their vacant two-way spot with Lindell Wigginton last week, this should be the end of their roster moves until after the NBA Finals.