The Milwaukee Bucks got their man.
For weeks, numerous people _ including general manager Jon Horst and coach Jason Kidd _ have expressed the importance of bringing back restricted free-agent wing Tony Snell. As free agency kicked off Saturday, the Bucks moved to seal the deal.
"We are engaged in free-agent negotiations with Tony Snell," Horst said. "We intend to enter into a player contract with Tony once the moratorium period has ended."
That contract reportedly will be worth $44 million over four years. According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the contract includes a player option after the third year as well as incentives that could push Snell's earnings to $46 million.
Snell, who is usually as reserved on social media as he is in person, took to Twitter to express his appreciation for the deal as well as being back with the Bucks.
The match between Snell and the Bucks proved perfect from the outset. Milwaukee acquired Snell from Chicago last October for point guard Michael Carter-Williams.
Snell, seldom used in three seasons with the Bulls, looked likely to stay glued to the bench had he stayed in Chicago. The Bucks had other plans for Snell, especially with Khris Middleton out six months with a torn left hamstring,
They inserted Snell into the starting lineup immediately and left him there all season. Snell started all 80 regular-season games in which he played and became an integral two-way player. He averaged 8.5 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game while shooting 45.5 percent overall and 40.6 percent from three-point range. His 58.8 percent effective field-goal percentage _ a value in which three-point shooting carries added weight _ was the best on the team.
Additionally, Snell was tasked with guarding the opposing team's best wing player each night. Taking on the likes of LeBron James, Paul George and Kawhi Leonard eased the pressure on his teammates, including Giannis Antetokounmpo and Middleton when he returned, allowing them to save their energy for running the floor and creating on the offensive end.
"It was a big trade because that's somebody that we knew that could fit and we wanted," Kidd said in March. "He's getting the opportunity to play and he's taken full advantage of that. He enjoys playing both ends of the floor."
Carter-Williams, a former rookie of the year, never found the right fit in Milwaukee over 1{ seasons. He didn't find that in Chicago, either, as the Bulls recently became the first team to decline to offer a qualifying offer to a former rookie of the year at the end of his rookie contract.
With Snell in the fold, the Bucks' roster is near capacity, though there is still flexibility for other moves. Milwaukee has 14 players under contract, not including another reported move that would bring them to 15. On draft night, the Bucks reportedly moved to acquire Sterling Brown, whom the Philadelphia 76ers took with the 46th pick. That trade has not yet been consummated and Brown has not been signed by the 76ers.
