NBA News: Milwaukee Bucks, Larry Sanders Complete Contract Buyout

The Milwaukee Bucks and Larry Sanders will be officially parting ways after both sides agreed to buyout the contract of the controversial and troubled big man. Shams Charania of RealGM tweeted the development on Wednesday saying that Sanders will be receiving $13 million after the buyout.

Sanders was signed by the Bucks in to a four-year $44 million contract extension in August of 2013 and was considered then as one the most promising big men in the league owing to his defensive intensity, rim protection and developing offensive skills. The promise and potential never panned out on and off the court as Sanders struggled with his numbers as well as non-basketball issues.

In the 2012-2013 NBA Season, Sanders averaged career-highs of 9.8 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.8 blocked shots in 77 games. The following year, he only played 23 of 82 games and also saw limited action in the current 2014-2015 NBA Season. If Sanders wasn’t bought out by the team, Sanders would have earned $11 million per year from 2014 to 2018 making him the highest paid player in the Bucks roster, at least for the current year. Sanders was suspended multiple times by the league office for his marijuana use and in violation of the National Basketball Players Association drug program.

"It's something I feel strongly about, just to let you know something personal about me," Sanders said in April of 2014 about his marijuana use via jsonline.com. "I will deal with the consequences from it. It's a banned substance in my league. But I believe in marijuana and the medical side of it. I know what it is if I'm going to use it.”

The eventual consequence for Sanders is that he’s without an NBA team and it remains to be seen if other squads will want to take the risk on signing him in the future. If signed, Sanders will be eligible to be part of the playoff roster for any NBA team that signs him.