Report: Bucks tell teams Brandon Jennings is off market

While he denies it, multiple reports suggest Brandon Jennings wants out of Milwaukee. His hiring of a new agent known for getting players to big markets adds fuel to that fire.

But the latest reports suggest the Bucks want to hold on to Jennings and are willing to ship his backcourt mate Monta Ellis out of town.

It all ties into the ongoing talks between the Bucks and Hawks about a possible Josh Smith trade. Marc Stein at ESPN has the details:

Yet amid all of those talks, sources say, Jennings has moved alongside Larry Sanders and John Henson on the Bucks’ list of near-untouchables. This is despite Jennings’ widely presumed desire to leave Milwaukee in free agency this summer after failing to seal a contract extension in October like fellow point guards Jrue Holiday, Stephen Curry and Ty Lawson and then changing agents earlier this month.

Of course, if you were going to try and trade a guy, this is what you’d leak. It’s all about the leverage.

Jennings is a restricted free agent this summer and the Bucks are likely to match any offer that isn’t floating well into the eight digits a year. The question with Jennings is how much are you willing to pay for potential? He is averaging 18.8 points a game, but is shooting less than 40 percent. He’s an above average point guard right now, but the question is how much are you willing to pay for potential?

One thing is clear, the Bucks are about to undergo some real shifts. One way or another.