Bucks complete roster with Dragan Bender

Deer fill 17th spot with 7' 1" former Sun

July 30, 2019 7:58 PM

Kevin Lewis,

Posted: July 30, 2019 7:58 PM

Updated: August 31, 2021 12:29 PM

by Kevin Lewis

Bender averaged 5 points and 4 rebounds per game last season.
Bender shot a career-high 45% from the field last season.
The addition of Bender fills the Bucks roster with their 17th player.

Milwaukee — The Milwaukee Bucks have signed free agent forward Dragan Bender.

” Dragan is a talented young player who we’re excited to add to our team,” said General Manager Jon Horst. “At only 21 years old, Dragan will continue to develop his game by working with Coach Bud and his terrific staff.”

Bender played the last three seasons with Phoenix after being selected by the Suns with the fourth overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft. He averaged 5.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 18.0 minutes per game last season. He also posted a career-high 44.7% shooting from the field. In his three seasons with Phoenix, Bender held averages of 5.3 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 171 games (64 starts).

The 7-1 forward was selected by the Suns after playing one season with Maccabi Tel Aviv (Israel) in 2015-16 where he averaged 4.5 points and 2.5 rebounds in 38 games (3 starts).

The Bucks roster has the full allotment of 17 players. Bender is the 15th player with a full-time NBA contract. Cameron Reynolds and Frank Mason III have two-way contracts with the G League Wisconsin Herd.