Bucks sign Meyers Leonard to a 10-day contract. Here’s what you need to know about the 7-footer and his past issues.
Meyers Leonard #MeyersLeonard
The Milwaukee Bucks have added some size and a player with some troubled history.
The Bucks have signed 7-foot center Meyers Leonard to a 10-day contract, a league source confirmed to the Journal Sentinel.
ESPN first reported the signing.
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Why did the Bucks sign Meyers Leonard?
Leonard is a “stretch” big, meaning despite his size he’s not a prolific rebounder (3.9 per game) or a shot-blocker (0.3 per game) but rather a shooter (39% from behind the three-point line). If Giannis Antetokounmpo misses games due to his right wrist injury, Leonard can fit alongside Brook Lopez if Lopez shifts into more of an interior post presence.
Or, more likely, Leonard can sub for Bobby Portis as Portis will likely begin playing again after suffering a sprained right MCL on Jan. 23.
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The Bucks had room on their roster after acquiring Jae Crowder and shipping out Jordan Nwora, George Hill and Serge Ibaka at the trade deadline.
ESPN reported that the Bucks have been monitoring Leonard for more than a year, including watching him in a workout recently, because Milwaukee was interested in acquiring a big man with some shooting ability.
Why was Leonard suspended by the NBA?
Leonard hasn’t played in the NBA since January 2021 with the Miami Heat. While rehabbing an injury, he uttered an anti-Semitic slur during a livestream of a video game. He was suspended for a week by the NBA and fined $50,000.
After his suspension, the Heat traded Leonard to the Oklahoma City Thunder and he was immediately waived. Teams have shown interest in him since then, but the Bucks are the first one to sign him.
Has Leonard apologized for what he said?
In an interview with ESPN last month, Leonard said he didn’t know the meaning of the slur he used.
“There are absolutely no excuses for what happened that day,” Leonard said to ESPN. “And ignorance, sadly, is a very real thing. I am not running from this, but I did not know that it happened.”
Leonard also sought counseling from rabbis and met with Jewish organizations.
What else kept teams from signing Leonard?
The 30-year-old Leonard has played for the Portland Trail Blazers and the Heat since being drafted 11th out of Illinois in 2012. He has averaged 5.6 points and 3.9 rebounds and appeared in 28 playoff games with Portland.
Leonard has battled ankle and shoulder injuries that he has been rehabbing over the past year.
How much will Leonard play with the Bucks?
He will likely be in the same role as Ibaka as a break-in-the-case-of-emergency big man.
With Giannis Antetokounmpo hurting his wrist right before the all-star break and Bobby Portis working his way back from knee and ankle issues, Leonard gives the Bucks some frontcourt depth.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Bucks sign Meyers Leonard to a 10-day contract. Here’s what you need to know about the 7-footer and his past issues.