Report: Milwaukee Bucks to sign Ibou Badji

The big man spent time in Portland last season

Per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, the Milwaukee Bucks have agreed to terms with Ibou Badji:

It remains to be seen what type of contract it will be, but all signs point to it shaking out as a non-guaranteed Exhibition 10 pact. In that scenario, it wouldn’t count against the cap and leaves the potential for it to be converted to a two-way contract. It also positions the player to get a bonus up to $77.5K should he be waived by his NBA team and spends a minimum of 60 days with the team’s G-League affiliate. This also may indicate that Philip Alston may not be coming after all, as the team has never announced anything official about his reported signing last month.

Badji has a history with the Bucks, as the team previously signed him in 2022 then was waived before the 2022-23 campaign. He then joined the Wisconsin Herd before heading to Portland on a two-way deal. He eventually surfaced at the NBA level with the Trail Blazers in 2023 and appeared in 22 games last year. During that time, he averaged 1.5 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 0.9 blocks.

The Bucks and Herd do still hold his rights, so it seems that he’ll return to Oshkosh to begin the year. Looking ahead, it’s likely that he won’t be a part of the Bucks’ plans this year, but could make a splash of sorts in the future. Milwaukee’s off-season roster now sits at 21 players.

Last, here are some highlights he had during his time in Portland:

And dating back to his stint with the Herd:

We’ll keep this piece updated should anything else be announced.