The Milwaukee Bucks have been a very active team this offseason as they try to bring back star point guard Brandon Jennings and after signing Carlos Delfino and trading for Luke Ridnour, the team still has moves to make, as they are looking at signing Gary Neal from the San Antonio Spurs next.
Neal was a restricted free agent after the Spurs gave him a qualifying offer this offseason, but after not getting any matching deals and knowing that they weren't going to re-sign him, the team withdrew the offer to make him a free agent. Neal had interest from the Knicks and other teams, but the Bucks were quick to pounce and Pro Basketball Talk reports that Milwaukee is close to signing Neal to a deal.
Sources said that the Bucks and Hawks were the final contenders to sign Neal and that Milwaukee is the team that will win out after he was made an unrestricted free agent. The Hawks were also in negotiations for a deal before they were halted by Neal's agent and now the Bucks appear set to add another player after also signing Carlos Delfino and Zaza Pachulia. The Bucks have a new head coach in Larry Drew and after losing Monta Ellis in free agency, the team will need more scoring to step up and Neal could get more minutes than he did in San Antonio because of that.
Neal has been a solid player for the Spurs over the past three seasons and he had a fantastic game in the playoffs this past postseason and scored 24 points in the finals in Game 3 as the Spurs beat Miami. Neal his six three pointers and he comes to the Bucks after averaging nearly 10 points in 68 games last season and he has a 9.7 points per game average for his three season career out of Towson. Neal appeared in 21 postseason games for the Spurs last season and shot over 40 percent from the field while averaging just over 20 minutes per game.
The 28-year-old Neal is a solid addition after losing Ellis and he comes to the team after the Bucks signed OJ Mayo as well and now they are prepared if they end up losing Brandon Jennings. The point guard is a restricted free agent and the two sides have yet to come to an agreement, as Jennings reportedly wants over $10 million per year and while it is not likely, the team could try to trade him. Delfino gives the team depth at the position and Neal adds another element to the roster as Drew now has a solid core to work with after losing Ellis, who led the team in scoring.
