The Milwaukee Bucks, intent on doing whatever is needed to return to the NBA Finals, just made a big and surprising signing.
They are currently the second-best team in their conference and only a half-game away from overtaking the Boston Celtics.
This signing could help them do that.
ESPN Sources: Free agent F/C Meyers Leonard — out of the NBA since March 2021 after uttering an antisemitic slur on a video game livestream and rehabbing post-surgical nerve damage on his right leg — is signing a 10-day contract with the Milwaukee Bucks. pic.twitter.com/sDxBJm9CPG
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 20, 2023
Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Bucks are signing free agent big man Meyers Leonard to a 10-day contract.
Leonard has been out of the league and out of the public eye for a couple of years now.
For a time during the 2019 and 2020 seasons, Leonard looked like he could be a huge force in the league for years to come.
He was making a name for himself with the Miami Heat after spending years with the Portland Trail Blazers.
After a successful 2019-20 season, Leonard struck up a new deal with the Heat.
But he was then sidelined due to injury and spent months rehabilitating.
During his absence, Leonard was caught on a gaming live stream using an antisemitic slur.
After that incident, he was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder and then released by that team.
The injury and backlash to his hateful language made Leonard a pariah and he vanished from the league seemingly overnight.
Since then, Leonard has gone to great lengths to right his wrongs and has built a strong relationship with the Jewish community, speaking openly about the language he used and his journey since.
Despite that, there are some unhappy with the Bucks signing the big man.
Leonard likely sees this 10-day contract as a chance to get back into the league and a chance to show how much he’s grown.
NEXT: The Bucks Get Great News About Giannis Antetokounmpo
