The Milwaukee Bucks are re-signing reserve big man Meyers Leonard to a second 10-day contract, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. Leonard played 27 minutes and scored 11 points for the Bucks in the four games covered by his original 10-day deal.
Leonard has previously been out of the NBA for two seasons following his use of an anti-semitic slur on a video game live stream. He had also been recovering from a wrist injury, but once healthy, he attempted to get his career going again. That led him to a Bucks team that emphasizes his playing style.
Milwaukee frequently seeks out shooting big men, and after the All-Star break, the Bucks felt that they needed a bit more size. Giannis Antetokounmpo dealt with a minor wrist injury suffered in Milwaukee's win over Chicago right before the break. He sat out Sunday's win over the Phoenix Suns, but he has played in his team's last two games.
It's unclear how much Leonard will play for the Bucks at full strength. Milwaukee's front court is built around Antetokounmpo, Brook Lopez and Bobby Portis, and minutes behind that trio tend to be fairly sparse. However, it's worth noting that the Bucks waived Sandro Mamukelashvili, a similarly skilled bag man, on Wednesday. In theory, that move signals that Milwaukee preferred Leonard as a deep bench option and possible insurance against future front-court injuries. For now, though, Leonard is only on a 10-day deal, so he'll have to prove to the Bucks that he belongs on their roster moving forward.
