Bucks' plans revolve around Redd
St. Francis - Michael Redd, an unrestricted free agent who is certain to be coveted by several high-profile National Basketball Association teams this summer, remains the Milwaukee Bucks' top off-season
That much was made clear by Bucks general manager Larry Harris and coach Terry Porter as they met with reporters Friday at the Cousins Center, the team's training facility.
But Harris acknowledged that the Bucks could not afford to be without a backup plan, should Redd decide to end his five-year tenure in Milwaukee and sign with another team.
"We have options; that's the beauty of what has transpired this year," Harris said, "with the changes we have made at the trading deadline.
"Michael Redd is the No. 1 priority. I am not naïve, nor is the rest of the organization. We know he could wake up one day and say, 'Hey, I'm going to Atlanta.' There are other plans for us, there are other options. Prior to the trading deadline, those options were very limited to us."
With the big-money contracts of Jason Caffey and Anthony Mason finally off the books, and with dollars saved in the trades of point guard Mike James to Houston and forward Keith Van Horn to Dallas in late February, the Bucks will have some $25 million to spend on players this summer.
Of course, a large chunk of that will be ticketed for Redd and big men Dan Gadzuric and Zaza Pachulia, whom the Bucks also hope to re-sign.
"I still feel very good," Harris said about the prospects to keep Redd, the 6-foot-6 guard who finished 11th in the league in scoring in 2004-'05 at 23.0 points per game. "However the (new) collective bargaining agreement comes out, the team that has the (Larry) Bird rights to a player will have the ability to pay more than anyone else.
"That's an advantage that no one else gets over us. He knows we're going to try to win. We're not just going to add him, band-aid it, throw out about six minimum (pay) players and try to wing this thing for a couple years."
The former Ohio State star might be tempted to look hard at the Cleveland Cavaliers, who fell short of the playoffs and are seeking a shooting guard to complement all-star LeBron James. If the Cavaliers hire a big-name coach, perhaps former Minnesota Timberwolves coach Flip Saunders, Michigan State's Tom Izzo or Seattle's Nate McMillan, could it affect Redd's decision?
Redd's agent, Kevin Poston, said the Bucks star wanted to keep all his options open and see what teams had to offer after July 1, when Redd will officially be a free agent.
"He's in a very good position," Poston said.
The Bucks decided not to trade Redd at the league deadline in February, opting to make the financial moves that would allow him to return. At the time, he said he would like to "retire as a Buck."
Redd made $3 million in the final year of his three-year deal with Milwaukee, and he is expected to more than triple that annual salary in his new contract.
"We can't make a judgment on what Michael is thinking," said Porter, who will be in the third and final guaranteed year of his contract next season. "We can show him that we're trying to take the right steps.
"I think he believes in me and Larry; I think he trusts us. He trusts that we're going to try to do the best thing for this organization going forward."
Other unrestricted free-agent guards include former Bucks star Ray Allen, who has led the Seattle SuperSonics to the second round of the Western Conference playoffs; the Washington Wizards' Larry Hughes; and the Phoenix Suns' Joe Johnson.
"The most important thing for me is we've put ourselves in a position to sign him (Redd)," Harris said. "If he elects to go somewhere else, they'll say, 'Larry, why didn't you trade him? It was the worst move.'
"If he decides to go somewhere else, we have plans to add to our roster and move forward. But I don't see that as a possibility, I really don't."