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Bucks ’ options are limited: Finances force tough decisions in offseason

MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee Bucks general manager John Hammond did some talking about the team’s future Monday, and he was glad to do it.

But he also said “talk is cheap” and actions will determine the future of a Bucks team that finished 34-48 and out of the playoffs for a third consecutive season.

Those actions include decisions Hammond and his staff will make regarding the draft and free agency, and the work that will be put in this summer by Bucks players to get themselves ready for the 2009-’10 season.

One year into the Hammond regime, the franchise still faces serious short-term financial restrictions regarding the 15-man roster.

But the general manager thinks important steps can be taken this summer, and he expects that injured regulars Andrew Bogut and Michael Redd will return to health in time for training camp in October.

“If we get those two guys back on the floor, we have a chance to be a better team,” Hammond said. “But along with that, the other plan would be to have discipline moving forward. We don’t want to make mistakes in the draft, and we don’t want to make mistakes in signing the wrong player for the wrong kind of contract.

”We’re restricted in what we can do this summer in adding players to our roster and how we can add them. When we get the reins off us in that regard, we want to keep them off.“

Hammond referred to the lucrative contracts for Redd and veteran forward Richard Jefferson, who signed his deal when he was still a member of the New Jersey Nets. Redd has two years and more than $35 million left on the six-year, $91 million contract he signed in the summer of 2005, and Jefferson has two years and $29.2 million left on his deal.

The final year of Redd’s contract, in 2010-’11, is a player option worth $18 million.

Redd, Bogut and Jefferson never had a chance to become a productive trio this season, because of the season-ending injuries suffered by the Bucks’ shooting guard and center. Jefferson, in his first year with the franchise after being acquired in a trade last June, was the only Bucks player to start all 82 games.

But in the short term, barring a major trade, the Bucks will have to make incremental improvements to help that trio. That will include decisions on whether to re-sign restricted free agents Charlie Villanueva and Ramon Sessions, who can receive offers from other teams beginning July 1.

Given the slumping economy and a number of teams conserving salary space for the big free-agent push in the summer of 2010 (when LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh will be available), the free-agent market could be a bit depressed this summer.

One thing the Bucks will not do is exceed the luxury tax threshold, which was set at $71.15 million for this season and could be lowered for next season. National Basketball Association teams pay a dollar-for-dollar penalty when they exceed the luxury tax level.

”If you look at a team like ours, we won 34 games this year,“ Hammond said. ”When you even start uttering such words, that would be a grave mistake to even go there.

“I don’t think we want to be there nor should we be there. We have a good team but if we don’t have any flexibility, there’s no way you can make that team great.”

The draft is another important element in Hammond’s plan, and he stressed that the Bucks must take advantage. They hold the 10th draft position entering the May lottery, with a chance to gain the first, second or third picks or to move down to 11th, 12th or 13th. The Bucks also have their own second-round pick, No. 41 overall.

“Right now, we love 1 through 9,” Hammond said with a laugh. “We have our picks; that’s the great thing. We have to get better through the draft. That’s a must for us.”

Bucks’ 3 priorities in the offseason

-- Improve in the draft: The Bucks have an 87 percent chance at staying in the No. 10 position, and Hammond said the team needed to find a player who will make an impact next season.

-- Make decisions in free agency/trades: Power forward Charlie Villanueva and point guard Ramon Sessions are restricted free agents. The Bucks want one or both of them back but not at any cost. The market will play a major role in determining whether those players are back in Milwaukee next fall. Hammond made a big trade to obtain Jefferson last season, and he might have a surprise in store again.

-- Returning players staying accountable: Many of the Bucks’ players talked about working on their games in the offseason, and Bogut and Redd must recover from major injuries. “The guys here have been doing a lot of losing over the last few years,” Hammond said. “That’s tough to overcome. The most important thing is for them to feel that accountability and say, ’I want to make a difference.’ It has to start in the offseason.”