Around this time one year ago, Milwaukee Bucks fans thought new signee Delon Wright could the the team’s biggest X-factor. Well, that didn’t exactly pan out, and it didn’t take long for that truth to hit the surface. Now, Wright remains unsigned in the early days of September, and his playing future in the NBA remains anything but certain.
Bucks’ signing was a swing and a miss (but a reasonable one)
The Wright signing had all the potential in the world to pan out in Milwaukee’s favor. This team was starved of perimeter defenders, and Wright had the tools to help that. A 6-foot-5 combo guard with a strong motor defensively, he was supposed to be this team’s Swiss Army Knife in the backcourt, capable of taking on players of all shapes and sizes.
Yet, that didn’t go according to plan.
While there were glimpses of strong defense here and there, Wright didn’t live up to the standard that Milwaukee Bucks fans had hoped for. On top of that, his offensive production was horrid. The veteran averaged just 2.5 points and 1.9 assists while shooting 30.3 percent on twos, 24.5 percent on threes, and a vile 56.3 percent on free throws. That alone made him virtually unplayable.
Getting ahead of the curve on the youth movement that would dominate Milwaukee’s summer of 2025, Doc Rivers pulled Wright out of the rotation in favor of Ryan Rollins. It was the right choice, given that Rollins blossomed into a strong contributor on both ends and seems poised to take on more responsibility with the Milwaukee Bucks this coming season.
After Rollins’ commanding emergence, it was apparent that Wright likely wasn’t long for Milwaukee. Ahead of the NBA Trade Deadline, the Bucks dealt him to the New York Knicks in exchange for big man Jericho Sims. Milwaukee certainly won that deal, as Sims gives them an uber-athletic break-glass-in-case-of-emergency center, while the Knicks opted not to re-sign Wright.
There’s no telling where Delon Wright goes from here. He was a bit better in his 14 games with the Knicks than his 26 in Milwaukee, but still clearly not good enough for someone to sign him. Perhaps he’ll follow in the footsteps of fellow former Buck Patrick Beverley and head overseas. At 33, he may still have at least some fuel left in the tank in that regard.
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