A look at the best undrafted free agent to ever play for the Milwaukee Bucks

The Miami Heat are contending for the NBA championship this year, and they could not have done it without the commendable efforts of their undrafted players.

Praise has been pouring in for Gabe Vincent, Caleb Martin, Max Strus, and Duncan Robinson, who are all undrafted free agents (UDFAs) whose exploits helped the Heat make it to the NBA Finals this year.

But it is not only in Miami that undrafted players get to prove their worth. The Milwaukee Bucks were also able to pull off some measure of success with a group of UDFAs in tow.

Perhaps the best UDFA who got to shine with the Bucks is Charlie Bell.

The Michigan State product was left undrafted when entered the NBA in 2001. He was still able to strut his wares in the NBA when he was signed by the Phoenix Suns.

But Bell only got to play for five games with the Suns and was released. He then joined Dallas, but his stint with the Mavericks was also short-lived.

Prized catch

Bell then played for three years in Italy, and in August 2005, he was signed by the Bucks.

Bell had his best game as an NBA player on March 28, 2006, and it came against his first NBA team. The six-foot-three guard recorded his first career triple-double, tallying then-career-highs of 19 points, 13 assists, and 10 rebounds in leading the Bucks to a 132-110 win over the Suns.

Bell became an integral piece for the Bucks that saw him start 137 times in the 350 games that he played for Milwaukee.

As a Buck, Bell averaged 9.0 points per game, and his best scoring season was in 2006-07 when he averaged 13.5 points a game.

An eye for talent

Bell’s tenure with the Bucks ended when he was traded Bell to the Golden State Warriors after the 2009-10 season.

Milwaukee also had UDFAs at its disposal during its two championship finishes.

When Milwaukee won its first NBA title In the 1970-71 season, it had an undrafted player in Jeff Webb, who played nine games in the playoffs and accumulated 11 points in 23 minutes.

In their title run in the 2020-21 season, the Bucks had four UDFAs that, included Bryn Forbes, Elijah Bryant, Mamadi Diakite, and Axel Toupane.

Just like the Heat, Milwaukee has also proven that it has an eye for talent.