Milwaukee Bucks report: Jevon Carter declines player option, what’s next?

As we get closer to the official start of free agency, the Milwaukee Bucks 2023-24 roster is losing clarity. On Wednesday night, it was reported guard Jevon Carter declined his player option for the 2023-24 season and will enter unrestricted free agency.

Carter, whose trigger date for a decision was June 29, has played in the NBA for five seasons. The Memphis Grizzlies drafted him with the 32nd overall pick in 2018 before trading him to the Phoenix Suns after one season.

He spent two years in Phoenix before being shipped to the Brooklyn Nets in August 2021. The Nets wanted to make room for Goran Dragic mid-season, subsequently releasing Carter and clearing the path for him to sign with the Bucks.

Milwaukee Bucks’ guard Jevon Carter reportedly declined his player option for the 2023-24 NBA season. What’s next for him and the Bucks?

Carter was a valuable mid-season pickup in 2022, taking the backup point guard minutes in George Hill’s absence. The intense defense that allows him to pressure ball handlers 94 feet from the basket was on full display. He bothered opposing point guards, making every dribble seem excruciating. Oh, and he also went on a hot streak, knocking down a whopping 55.8 percent of his three-point attempts in 20 games.

As a free agent last summer, he signed a one-year deal with a player option for the second season. He showed an improved bag on offense, averaging a career-high 8 points per game. His three-point shooting dropped a bit, but he still made 42.1 percent of his outside shots.

He had much more confidence in Year 2 in Milwaukee, pulling up in the mid-range and even stopping and popping fastbreak threes (for better or worse). The 2.4 assists per game was also his career-high for a season.

Refusing his player option was a no-brainer, considering the paltry sum of $2.24 million he would have earned next season.

There is still a chance for the Bucks to retain him during the free agency period. They have early bird rights on him since he played for them in each of the last two seasons. That means they can re-sign him to a contract of at least two years and up to $11.34 million as a starting salary in 2023-24.

Carter hasn’t proven himself capable of staying on the court during the playoffs, so going anywhere near the $11.34 million is unlikely. Still, there is certainly room for him and the Bucks to have a productive conversation about a potential salary boost.

It will be interesting to see how salaries are handed out under the new CBA this summer. Crossing the second apron of $182.5 million severely limits what levers teams can pull to improve their squad. The Bucks will likely do what they can to stay under that, but they also need to re-sign Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez, as well as make decisions about Joe Ingles, Jae Crowder and others. Adding an increased Carter salary to the mix makes it seem unlikely they’ll be able to stay under the second apron and retain those players.

Ricky Rubio, Cameron Payne and Patty Mills each signed multi-year deals that will pay them between $6-6.8 million in 2023-24. It’s hard to envision Carter getting quite that much. I would bet a deal around $4-5 million would be more appropriate.

It remains to be seen how the negotiations will play out once free agency starts. This will be Carter’s first time testing the waters of free agency, and he is expected to carefully consider all his options and weigh his choices.