The Milwaukee Bucks are already looking drastically different from the end of last season after losing star Monta Ellis in free agency and trading for Luke Ridnour from the Timberwolves and now another familiar face will be missing from the roster, as the team decided to amnesty forward Drew Gooden.
The Bucks decided to use the amnesty clause on Gooden to save salary cap space, likely in the hopes of signing Brandon Jennings, as the forward still had nearly $14 million left on his contract. According to ESPN.com, Gooden previously signed a five-year contract worth over $30 million and now with two-years and $13.36 million, he has been waived by the Bucks and if he clears waivers he will be a free agent. The team will still pat Gooden, but now they will get salary relief from the high number one his contract.
The amnesty clause was put in place in the last collective bargaining agreement and the provision allows players to waived without having that salary count against the overall salary cap or luxury tax threshold. Tuesday was the deadline for the clause and it now means Gooden could be signed by another team in the league. Gooden was a consistent player during his years with the Cavaliers and this past season with the Bucks he played in just 16 games and set career lows in points and rebounds with averages of 3.3 points and 1.9 rebounds per game. Gooden played in just 107 games during the three seasons he spent with the Bucks.
Gooden was previously drafted in 2002 and has career averages of 11.8 points and 7.6 rebounds and now the Bucks will continue their turnover this offseason, as they already lost Ellis to the Timberwolves and are still possibly losing Jennings, as the two sides have yet to come to a new contract agreement. Ellis signed with the Mavericks after opting out of his original six-year contract that was signed with the Warriors and his new deal is worth around $25 million, which will end up less than the final year of his contract and also less than the extension that the Bucks offered him as well.
The team has a new coach in Larry Drew and after losing Ellis, the team added Ridnour as well as Carlos Delfino and even if they lose Jennings, the front office is expecting to be better than last season when the team went 38-44 and made it into the playoffs as the eighth seed in the East. The team ranked 20th in points allowed and Drew is hoping to improve the defense next season and so far this summer John Henson has been a standout in NBA Summer League play for the Bucks. The team made a play for Jeff Teague as a possible replacement for Jennings, but the Atlanta Hawks decided to match the deal.
