Milwaukee’s latest two-way success is a restricted free agent
With most free agents covered by the Brew Hoop team, we’ll now discuss Ryan Rollins, a fan favourite in the Cream City. After being signed to a two-way contract at the tail end of the 2023–24 season, Rollins exploded onto the scene the next summer in Vegas and was thrust into the backup point guard role a few games into the following regular season. The former Toledo Rocket is a restricted free agent this summer and looks set for a decent salary bump; let’s hope GM Jon Horst can retain him.
Ryan Rollins, 6’3” guard, 22 years old
In an era in which Milwaukee has had little success adding depth pieces to a talented but aging core, the org’s identification of Rollins stands out as a success story. After signing that two-way deal, Ryan had an outstanding summer league, leading to him taking Delon Wright’s spot as the backup point guard early into last season and eventually getting elevated to a standard deal. Rollins saw his minutes wax and wane throughout the year (especially once Kevin Porter Jr. came to town), but generally made a positive contribution when his number was called. He finished the regular season averages with career highs across the board of 6.2 PPG, 1.9 APG, 1.9 RPG, and 0.9 TPG in nearly 15 MPG. He was also a reliable marksman from deep, shooting above 40%.
Ryan played extended minutes down the final stretch of the regular season due to Dame dealing with DVT in his calf. However, when Lillard stunningly returned in Game 2 against the Pacers, Rollins’ minutes dried up until the star guard tore his Achilles. Frankly, many fans felt that Doc should’ve leaned on Ryan much more than he did in that series, even when Dame was healthy. Rollins’ secondary creation might have been more helpful than anything Taurean Prince gave them. Alas, we cannot change the past, but we can learn from it. I would contend that investing in multifaceted players who can dribble, pass, and shoot is what smart GMs are doing. Ryan fits that mould well, and the Bucks should act accordingly.
Role
Should Rollins return to the Bucks, he’ll likely resume the backup point guard role he played for large stretches of this season. That said, it’s not a given that he comes off the bench, and KPJ (should he return) starts. When Dame was out at various points last season, Ryan started most of those games; overall, he started 19 regular-season contests. And you could see what Doc was thinking with that decision: Rollins was a better fit in the starting five because a lineup with Giannis and Dame didn’t need creation as much as it did a steady hand who can nail spot-up threes and defend.
Now, philosophy will likely change with Dame out; they might need KPJ’s creation and scoring punch alongside Giannis to begin games. Consequently, the scoring role off the bench could fall into Ryan’s hands. It may not; they might end up signing someone who can play that role more optimally than he. But if Rollins does end up with that responsibility, I hope Doc trusts him to explore a little more than he did last year. There is untapped potential here; fingers crossed, we see that potential realised.
Potential Suitors
Regarding other potential suitors, shoot, Ryan would be a good fit anywhere. As I alluded to above, this is a guy who can hold his own on defence and play on or off the ball competently. He might not be elite at anything, but by being competent in many areas, you make yourself malleable to basically the entire league. Again, for all the oft-criticised decisions this Bucks front office has made, acquiring and developing Rollins was truly a master stroke.
As far as naming teams, I could see Charlotte as an option. The Hornets don’t have many promising young pieces in general, but their backup guard room is particularly weak. The only real guys they have as “developing talents” are Tre Mann, Nick Smith Jr., KJ Simpson, and whoever they pick fourth in the draft; that’s really it. Ryan would likely supplant at least two of those three players the second he walks in the door. Charlotte probably won’t have cap space but will have access to their MLE and BAE exceptions, which would be enough to make an enticing offer.
Ironically, I also see Rollins as a good fit for one of his former teams, the Washington Wizards. Like Charlotte, Washington won’t have cap space but will have access to those same exceptions; they could attempt to pry yet another promising young guard from Horst’s hands. With Malcolm Brogdon a free agent and Marcus Smart on an expiring contract, the Wizards’ guard core includes Jordan Poole, Corey Kispert, Bilal Coulibaly, Bub Carrington, and AJ Johnson. I am dubious that Poole and Kispert will be there much longer and think Rollins might be able to bring some balance as a defence-first guard at a decent price to boot.
Potential Contract
Obviously, the crucial point to mention is that Rollins is a restricted free agent. Thus, the Bucks can match any offer from other teams, provided they issue him a qualifying offer (which he probably would turn down since it’s only $2.5m). If they don’t issue it, they could use his Early Bird rights to offer him anything up to approximately $13.5m. Because of that, Ryan likely returns to Milwaukee; the teams I discussed above would have to use some or all of their full MLE to reach that number.
Now, what would a realistic number for Rollins be? Maybe in the $6–8m range per season? Regarding contract length, would he turn down a three-year, $18m deal fully guaranteed? That seems relatively fair on both sides. If the average annual value were higher, the Bucks may need to add a team option in the final year. Regardless, Horst must do what is necessary to bring Ryan back. As Marques Johnson would say, holy Toledo!
What contract number would you be comfortable going to for Rollins? How do you see his role next season with no Dame in the fold? Make your thoughts known in the comment section.