KEY POINTS

  • The Milwaukee Bucks are close to completing a deal for Maccabi Tel Aviv star Elijah Bryant
  • Maccabi head coach Giannis Sfairopoulos gets real about Bryant and Giannis Antetokounmpo
  • The Bucks are waiving Rodions Kurucs to make room for the 26-year-old

A coach has already high hopes for the Milwaukee Bucks' newest signing.

Maccabi Tel Aviv star Elijah Bryant could be just days away from completing his move to the Bucks.

Ahead of his NBA debut, Bryant’s Maccabi coach Giannis Sfairopoulos admitted that he is thrilled to see one of his players taking his career to the next level.

More importantly, Sfairopoulos wants Bryant to get along well with Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.

"Every coach wants to see his players develop and grow,” Sfairopoulos told Eurohoops of Bryant’s move to the NBA. “Maccabi helped him reach the highest goal. I hope Elijah likes Giannis Antetokounmpo more than he liked Giannis Sfairopoulos."

After three seasons with Maccabi, Bryant is closing in on inking a two-year deal with the Bucks, first reported by Emiliano Carchia of Sportando.

Roi Cohen of Israeli Sport 5 then added that the Bucks have negotiated a buyout with Maccabi Tel Aviv, which is said to be ranging anywhere from $500,000 to $600,000 to secure the 6-foot-5 shooting guard’s services.

Cohen also noted that Bryant will be leaving Israel on Sunday to join the Bucks.

By contrast, the arrival of Bryant to Milwaukee means the departure Rodions Kurucs.

As the former’s switch to the Bucks progressed, it has become apparent that the team will be waiving Kurucs as a corresponding move, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported.

giannis suns
Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks during the first half of the NBA game against the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena on March 04, 2019 in Phoenix, Arizona. Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Though it will be his maiden season with the Bucks, Bryant is no stranger to the franchise as he was a member of the Bucks’ 2019 summer league team.

Last year, the Bucks reportedly tried to bring him stateside, but he turned the offer down and chose to stay with Maccabi Tel Aviv.

At Maccabi, Bryant became a regular for Sfairopoulos and averaged 11 points per game across all competitions--the Israeli Basketball Premier League and the EuroLeague.

The exiting Kurucs, on the other hand, is a 23-year-old forward, who was acquired by the Bucks on March 19 in the deal with the Houston Rockets that brought veteran P.J. Tucker to Milwaukee.

The 6-foot-9 forward has dealt with some injuries and has only played five games for the Bucks.

Addressing the team’s seemingly aggressive approach in reinforcing its roster, Bucks GM Jon Horst stressed that the organization always wants to give coaches “many options” to be able to cope with different scenarios.

“We wanted to continue to give coach as many options and tools as possible to be flexible and to adjust and do things differently,” Horst told Bucks’ media last month.

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