It’s roster bonus season in the NBA.
For Milwaukee Bucks guard Jrue Holiday, that means it’s payday.
With the NBA’s regular season concluding on Sunday, the Milwaukee Bucks rested their starters against the Cleveland Cavaliers — all except for Holiday, who remained conspicuously in the starting lineup alongside a group of players who most certainly won’t be seeing significant playing time in the postseason.
They Bucks were guaranteed a No. 2 or No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference and appeared content on letting the rest of Sunday’s NBA slate decide their playoff fate with a potential first-round matchup against the Brooklyn Nets looming for the No. 2 seed.
So why was Holiday playing? The point guard lined up for the tip, but didn’t last long.
Cavaliers guard Darius Garland secured the tip, and Holiday immediately fouled him at half court. Holiday then exited the game in favor of Lindell Wigginton, a rookie guard who entered Sunday having played a grand total of 159 NBA minutes. Holiday didn’t return.
Per Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press, Holiday’s eight-second appearance in Sunday’s game triggered a $255,000 bonus in his contract for playing in 67 games this season. Sunday was his 67th game, however so brief.
The Bucks, of course, didn’t have to play Holiday on Sunday. But head coach Mike Budenholzer was clearly aware of the money at stake. So he made sure Holiday got his payout while minimizing his risk of injury. It all added up to a relatively small token of goodwill from the Bucks to help keep one of their key players happy.
