Report: Bucks guarantee contract of Kendall Marshall

In a nice vote of confident for their backup point guard, the Milwaukee Bucks have guaranteed the contract of Kendall Marshall for the season, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports reports.

The team had the option of waiting until Jan. 10 before guaranteeing Marshall's deal, which pays him a $915,000 salary that would have otherwise been fully non-guaranteed. In guaranteeing his deal, the Bucks are essentially confirming to Marshall that he won't be waived any time soon.

That's great news for Marshall, who was waived by the Los Angeles Lakers in July and, prior to that, had been waived by the Washington Wizards.

The 13th overall pick out of UNC in 2012, Marshall struggled as a rookie with the Phoenix Suns before getting dealt to Washington on the eve of the 2013-14 season. He caught on with the paper-thin Lakers, appearing in 54 games and averaging eight points and 8.8 assists while shooting 39.9 percent on threes. Apparently those numbers weren't strong enough to warrant a roster spot, which is crazy even if Marshall is a poor defender.

Marshall averaged just four points and 4.8 assists over five preseason games with the Bucks but figures to see run as a backup behind Brandon Knight. He'll have to compete with Nate Wolters and Jerryd Bayless for playing time, but the Bucks may also run two-point guard sets given their depth at the position.