RealGM Basketball Wiretap

06 October 2024

• Rajon Rondo Joins Bucks As Guest Coach

  Rajon Rondo is in camp with the Milwaukee Bucks as a guest coach, which is a role he is expected to play throughout the 24-25 season.

  Rondo retired from his playing career this past April and was soon recruited by Doc Rivers to join the coaching ranks.

  "There's a lot of factors that go into coaching," Rondo said. "You just can't say, I'm going to be a coach, and then everything works out and that's how it happens. So certain personalities have to mesh, [and there's] a lot of sacrifice. There are certain things that I'm learning. The morning meetings, the amount of hours you're spending watching film, it's a lot."

  Rondo said he doesn't have an exact path in mind.

  "You see people go from not coaching to head-coaching jobs all the time," he said. "A lot of people go straight to becoming assistant coaches. So there's just no path. I just want to seek as much information as possible."

  "He's the smartest player I've ever coached -- and not just smart," Rivers told ESPN. "He knows when to and when not to say stuff. He's a great team builder. It's just fun, and it's great to have him around."

  Rivers is reminded of his own journey from playing to coaching.

  "I just think there's certain guys that should be a coach," Rivers said. "It's funny, I never thought I was going to coach, and Pat Riley told me I'm coaching. I said, 'No, I'm going to do TV.' He said, 'You'll be a coach' and Pat Riley never relented. And when I did TV those first three years, he would send texts or letters like, 'Get your f---ing ass on the sideline.' And I feel the same way [with Rondo]."

• Terence Davis, Bucks Agree To Exhibit 10 Deal

  The Milwaukee Bucks and guard Terence Davis have agreed to an Exhibit 10 contract. Davis will join the Bucks for the preseason, before likely playing for the Wisconsin Herd of the G League.

  Davis appeared in seven games for the Rip City Remix of the G League last season. The 6-foot-4 guard averaged 15.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.4 steals per game. Davis has previously played for the Toronto Raptors and Sacramento Kings in the NBA.

• Khris Middleton Not Cleared For 5-On-5 After Ankle Surgeries

  The Milwaukee Bucks were hoping to start off this season's training camp with everyone available and ready to go. Unfortunately, Milwaukee will be behind the eight ball once again with Khris Middleton not ready for full participation.

  Middleton had surgery on both ankles this offseason. He's yet to be cleared to play 5-on-5 ahead of training camp opening next week. Middleton is said to be progressing well, but the Bucks are taking a cautious approach with the veteran wing as camp opens.

  Middleton has played in a combined 88 games over the last two seasons for Milwaukee. In 55 games last year, Middleton averaged 15.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.3 assists in 55 games. He was then the Bucks best player in their first-round playoff loss to the Indiana Pacers, averaging 24.7 points, 9.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists over six games.

• Bucks, Philip Alston Sign Exhibit 10 Contract

  The Milwaukee Bucks have signed forward Philip Alston to an Exhibit 10 contract. Alston will join Milwaukee for training camp, before likely landing with the Wisconsin Herd in the G League.

  Alston went undrafted out of Loyola at the 2024 NBA Draft. The 6-foot-6 forward averaged 12.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game for the Ramblers as a senior. He then played in three Las Vegas Summer League games for the Bucks.

• Ibou Badji, Bucks Agree To Contract

  The Milwaukee Bucks have agreed to a contract with Ibou Badji. Badji, who went undrafted in the 2022 NBA draft, is represented by agents Sammy Meija, Jason Ranne.

  Badji played in 22 games last season with the Portland Trail Blazers, averaging 1.6 points and 2.3 rebounds in 10.3 minutes.

  Badji also appeared in three G League games, averaging 6.0 points and 3.3 rebounds in 20.3 minutes.

• Junior Bridgeman Buying 10% Stake In Bucks At $4B Valuation

  Former NBA player Junior Bridgeman is reportedly buying a 10% stake in the Milwaukee Bucks. Bridgeman is getting a 15% "preferred limited partner" discount. The overall transaction values the Bucks at $4 billion, despite Bridgeman's discount buy-in.

  Bridgeman played for Milwaukee for the first nine seasons of his career from 1975 through 1984. After a two-year stint with the LA Clippers, Bridgeman returned to the Bucks for a final season before retiring in 1987.

  Bridgeman built a reported net worth of over $600 million in his post-NBA career. He currently owns Ebony and Jet magazine, as well as other ventures include fast food franchises, soft drink bottling, and aluminum production.

• Bucks Sign James Akinjo, Liam Robbins

  The Milwaukee Bucks have signed James Akinjo and Liam Robbins.

  A 6-1 guard, Akinjo played in 31 games (5 starts) last season with the Stockton Kings and Wisconsin Herd in the NBA G League and averaged 9.5 points, 4.2 assists, 2.5 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game. He ended the season playing in 14 games (2 starts) with the Herd and averaged 9.7 points, 3.9 assists, 2.2 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 21.3 minutes per contest.

  Robbins, a 7-0 center, last played in 26 games (15 starts) at Vanderbilt in 2022-23 where he was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Year, earned First Team All-SEC honors and was a finalist for National Defensive Player of the Year after averaging 15.0 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.2 blocks in 22.9 minutes per game while shooting 50.4% from the field during his senior season.

• Bucks Assistant Josh Oppenheimer Hired At Oklahoma

  Milwaukee Bucks assistant coach Josh Oppenheimer will join Porter Moser's staff at the University of Oklahoma, sources told Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

  Oppenheimer was known for his close working relationship with Giannis Antetokounmpo.

• Damian Lillard Says He's Not Breaking Down, Bucks Are Under The Radar

  Damian Lillard knows that he and the Milwaukee Bucks fell short of expectations last season. But Lillard said there are reasons for that, and that he's not falling apart physically.

  "I'm not a player that's breaking down," Lillard said. "I live a clean, good, healthy life, so I can do it. I can do the same (expletive) I did two, three years ago. I can do it right now."

  In addition to working through several injuries, Lillard was going through a lot off the court. That contributed to his efficiency being down.

  "There was a lot of change, a lot of stress, you know?" the veteran guard said. "I think now, having an opportunity to get myself in order and kind of start pushing forward to next season."

  Lillard also said that he's OK that the focus is on the Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers and New York Knicks this season.

  "The fact that we're there and we're under the radar is perfect because they're gonna think nothing of us and then they're gonna be like...You gotta face the truth, eventually. That's how that usually works," Lillard said.

• Back-To-Back Games Up In 24-25 NBA Schedule Vs Prior Year

  As the NBA continues to find ways to increase player availability for key and high-profile games, that has led to more back-to-backs being scheduled in 2024-25. Teams average 14.9 back-to-back games in next season's schedule, which is up slightly from last season. That figure is still down considerably from a decade ago.

  This season, the league has arranged the schedule to make sure no team is on a back-to-back ahead of opening week national TV games, holiday games (Christmas and MLK) and before Saturday night showcase games on ABC throughout the season. In addition, no NBA Cup games will be played as the second game of a back-to-back.

  A group of 11 teams have the most back-to-back games scheduled at 16 occurrences. This group includes the Atlanta Hawks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets, LA Clippers, Milwaukee Bucks, New Orleans Pelicans, Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix Suns, Sacramento Kings and Washington Wizards.

  A group of six teams have the fewest back-to-back games scheduled at 13 occurrences. This group includes the Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls, Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers, Orlando Magic and Portland Trail Blazers.

  There are no instances of four-in-five games. The NBA has worked to eliminate those situations over the years.