Larry Sanders: Latest News, Buyout Rumors, Speculation Surrounding Bucks Star
The Milwaukee Bucks reportedly are ready to move on from their fraught relationship with troubled center Larry Sanders. The two sides have reportedly reached a buyout agreement.
Continue for updates.
Sanders, Bucks Reportedly Reach Buyout Agreement
Saturday, Feb. 21
Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Sanders and the Bucks have agreed to a buyout.
Sanders Reportedly Won't Make NBA Return If Bought Out
Wednesday, Feb. 18
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports reports that if the Bucks buyout Sanders' contract, he may not play again this season:
"As a contract buyout is finalized for Larry Sandersand the Milwaukee Bucks, the troubled center has no plans to pursue a deal to play with another NBA team this season, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
(...)
Sanders has had repeated violations of the NBA's anti-drug policy and hasn't shown an inclination to move immediately back into the league, sources said.
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Mavericks Have 'Cautious Interest' in Sanders
Wednesday, Feb. 18
The Dallas Mavericks are reportedly interested in Sanders, though their interest level is described as "cautious and complicated," per Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com.
MacMahon mentioned Sanders' character issues as a key point in the matter and added the following details:
"The Mavs can only offer the veteran’s minimum, so theoretically they would be taking a minimal risk if Sanders agreed to come to Dallas. However, the Mavs’ front office is sensitive to the potential of creating chemistry problems by adding a player who isn’t all in, the Lamar Odom disaster still fresh in their minds.
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Sanders, whose agent Happy Walters has a strong relationship with the Dallas front office and also represents Stoudemire and other key Mavs, would have to make a convincing case that he’d be fully committed to attempting to help make a playoff run in the Western Conference.
Sanders, Bucks Begin Buyout Talks
Monday, Feb. 16
Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported the Bucks and Sanders are at the beginning stages of a buyout negotiation that would allow both sides an escape from their tense relationship.
While it's clear neither party is happy within the current arrangement, buyout talks present a number of difficulties. Sanders is in the first season of a four-year, $44 million contract extension he signed last August. Because NBA contracts are fully guaranteed, the Bucks are largely at Sanders' mercy when it comes to a financial settlement.
Sanders, 26, has appeared in only 50 games since signing the extension. He missed 59 games last season due to surgeries on his thumb and eye.
The former first-round pick has not appeared in a game since Dec. 23 of last year due to personal reasons and an NBA suspension. The league suspended Sanders 10 games for violating the anti-drug program last month. It's his second drug suspension in as many seasons, both coming for marijuana use. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports reported in January that Sanders is "determined" to quit using marijuana and resume playing.
His return date is another question entirely. Sanders is yet to appear with the Bucks since his suspension was lifted. Stein notes he was listed as being out the Bucks' final three games before the All-Star break for "personal reasons."
"I'm trying to get to the root of a lot of issues and get them corrected," Sanders told reporters in January. "Without getting them corrected, I don't think basketball is something I could do."
Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders weighed in on Sanders' future after Milwaukee:
Sanders was averaging 7.3 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game before leaving the team, a far cry from the numbers that earned him the $44 million contract. It's unclear whether the Bucks are willing to have him back if they don't reach a buyout—and vice versa. However, if Sanders does play basketball again in 2014-15, odds are it'll be somewhere other than Milwaukee.
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