The Milwaukee Bucks have finalized a contract extension with John Hammond through the 17-18 season.

Hammond became general manager of the Bucks in 2008.

The Bucks hired a general manager in waiting this offseason in Justin Zanik.

Hammond will stay on as a consultant after 2018.

The Atlanta Hawks would like to re-sign Kent Bazemore but he'll receive significant interest in free agency.

The Milwaukee Bucks, Memphis Grizzlies and Brooklyn Nets are three teams that will pursue Bazemore.

Bazemore has emerged as a productive two-way wing over the past two seasons with the Hawks.

Bazemore began his career with the Golden State Warriors.

The Golden State Warriors paid $2.4 million to the Milwaukee Bucks to acquire the 38th overall pick.

The Warriors used the selection to pick Pat McCaw out of UNLV.

McCaw has agreed to sign a guaranteed two-year deal with the Warriors at the minimum.

The Milwaukee Bucks are expected to trade Greg Monroe this offseason.

Monroe signed with the Bucks last offseason, choosing them over the likes of the New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers.

But Monroe was an awkward fit with the Bucks, who went from being a playoff team in 2015 to the lottery in 2016.

“I’d be shocked if Monroe was on the Bucks’ roster next season," said an agent familiar with the Bucks' thinking.

“They not going to get a lottery pick for him, not even a late lottery pick,’’ a general manager said of Monroe.

The Boston Celtics have been pursuing a number of established veterans, building a trade package around the third overall pick in Thursday's draft.

The Celtics have been working to put together a package for either Jimmy Butler, Gordon Hayward, Jabari Parker or Khris Middleton.

Boston, so far, has been unable to make any progress with the Bulls, Jazz or Bucks, respectively.

The Celtics acquired the third overall pick from their 2013 trade with the Brooklyn Nets, giving them the rare opportunity to be a playoff team with such a high draft pick.

Jason Kidd and the Milwaukee Bucks have finalized a three-year, $18 million contract extension.

Kidd will make $5 million in the final season of his original contract before the extension begins in 17-18.

Bucks ownership hinted to reporters in Milwaukee at the end of the season that the coach was going to receive an extension.

"At the end of the day, Jason is our coach," co-owner Marc Lasry told reporters back in April. "... We think he's done a great job. He's our guy."

Jason Kidd and the Milwaukee Bucks are finalizing a deal worth more than $15 million over three seasons. 

Kidd became head coach of the Bucks in 2014 after one season with the Brooklyn Nets. 

Kidd led the Bucks to the playoffs in his first season before they regressed in 15-16 and he took several weeks off following hip surgery.

The Bucks recently hired Justin Zanik as general manager in waiting.

The Milwaukee have named Justin Zanik the team’s new assistant general manager. In his role within the organization, Zanik will participate in all areas of day-to-day basketball operations management. Zanik joins Milwaukee after spending three years as the assistant general manager for the Utah Jazz, where he helped facilitate contract negotiations, managed the team’s salary cap and oversaw the scouting of international prospects, among other duties.

“We are thrilled to welcome Justin Zanik to our basketball operations department,” Bucks General Manager John Hammond said. “He is a proven executive who brings a diverse background and wealth of basketball knowledge to the Bucks family. We look forward to his contributions to our organization.”

Zanik has been involved in all aspects of athlete representation for the past 15 years, and has been a certified agent for the National Basketball Players Association since 2003. Prior to his experience with the Jazz, he served as Vice President of ASM Sports, where he oversaw all levels of career management for ASM’s basketball clients.

Golden State handles Cleveland in Game 1. How we feel about the series after one game, why Cleveland had so much trouble scoring on the Warriors' defense, and what adjustments the Cavs can make to improve matters.

At the 34:00 mark, previewing the offseason for the Milwaukee Bucks. What are their team needs around core players Khris Middleton, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Jabari Parker, and how can they fill them with their projected $21 million in cap space? Can and should they trade Greg Monroe, and how will Giannis' extension talks affect their 2017 cap space?

With host Nate Duncan (@NateDuncanNBA) and Danny Leroux of RealGM, The Athletic and the Sporting News    (@DannyLeroux).   

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