NBA Rumors: Milwaukee Bucks Would Be Dumb To Give Stephen Jackson New Contract
Stephen Jackson will be a big part of the Milwaukee Bucks offense this season, and amid the increasing speculation he is frustrated with not having a new contract, the team would be dumb to cave in and give him one.
Jackson is 33 years old and you could make the argument he is already overpaid. The Bucks would be incredibly foolish to give him a new deal without seeing how he fits in with the team during real NBA games.
"League sources said Jackson sought a contract extension last season from the Charlotte Bobcats and that was one of the primary reasons they shipped him to Milwaukee….
There is growing speculation, though, that Jackson is upset the Bucks haven’t approached him about reconstructing his contract and that he was now going to approach them.
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Is Jackson really surprised the Bucks have not approached him about a new deal? If he is, then he really needs to wake up. Jackson is going to have to earn a new deal on the court.
The terms in the new CBA only allow a player's extension to total four years, so adding two more years to his deal would be pretty stupid. In two years Jackson will be 36 years old and not worth close to the $9.6 million he will make this season or the $10 million he's owed for the following year.
Since he averaged 20.1 points per game with the Charlotte Bobcats during the 2009-10 season after being traded from the Golden State Warriors after just nine games, Jackson's scoring average has decreased over the past two seasons.
In that same span, his rebounds, steals, assists and blocks per game averages have all decreased or remained about the same. Jackson also has played more than 75 games in a season just once in the last five years.
Jackson is past the prime of his career and plays little defense; he should be happy he is making the money his current contract is paying him.
He has not gotten off to a good start with his new team, and if he wants a new deal then he's got to prove it on the court.
At 33 years old, Jackson must prove he can be a reliable offensive performer who still has plenty of productive scoring years ahead of him.
For a player who is a good but not great offensive player, who plays zero defense and has played with six different teams in the last decade, Jackson has a lot of nerve asking the Bucks for a new deal before the season has even started.
Milwaukee must be firm on this matter and not give him a new deal; doing so would hurt the team in the future and prevent them from building a roster of young talent that could become a perennial playoff contender.
Nicholas Goss is an NBA Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter.
