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Bucks Rumors: MIL Hasn't 'Totally Closed the Door' on a George Hill Return
June 28, 2019
The Milwaukee Bucks "have not totally closed the door" on bringing back veteran guard George Hill next season, according to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne and Brian Windhorst.
Only $1 million of Hill's contract for 2019-20 is guaranteed, with Milwaukee having until Tuesday to decide whether to waive him or pay him his full $18 million salary. The Bucks are expected to waive him and consider bringing him back on new terms.
The 33-year-old was acquired from the Cleveland Cavaliers in a three-team deal last December.
While being used mostly in a reserve role for the first time since 2012, Hill helped the Bucks win an NBA-best 60 games in 2018-19. He averaged 6.8 points on 42.8 percent shooting while logging 20.4 minutes per game in 47 appearances for the team.
Of note, his 31.4 percent three-point shooting was the lowest of his 11-year career. He had shot better than 40 percent from distance in each of the three previous seasons.
Hill's regular-season numbers may not have stood out, but he stepped up when asked to take on a bigger role during the postseason, averaging 11.5 points on 53.4 percent shooting, including 41.7 from beyond the arc, in 26.3 minutes per game.
With Hill's solid performance, the Bucks made it out of the first round for the first time since 2001, ultimately falling to the eventual champion Toronto Raptors in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Milwaukee's attention this offseason will likely center around unrestricted free agent Khris Middleton and restricted free agent Malcolm Brogdon. Per Shelburne and Windhorst, Brogdon signing elsewhere could lead to Hill returning.