Zaza Pachulia is finally close to owning the Bucks' old floor
Nearly a year after laying the groundwork to do so, Zaza Pachulia is finally ready to purchase the Milwaukee Bucks' old floor.
Last season, the Bucks switched out the old floor for a fresh look at the Bradley Center and Pachulia stood first in line to purchase the old hardwood. His intention was, and is, to bring it to his native Georgia and install it at one of the country's basketball academies.
It's taken a really long time, though. The paperwork is finally ready to be signed and the deal ready to be closed.
"Honestly," Pachulia told Zach Lowe of Grantland for an article published Wednesday, "I thought it was going to be an easy process."
The hold up came with the sale of the Bucks this past offseason, with Herb Kohl dealing the franchise to Marc Lasry and Wesley Edens for $550 million. The sale of old property is hardly the top priority for a new ownership group, and the league had to grant clearance for the court to be used in a non-NBA facility, and so Pachulia's purchase has been on hold.
The court is close to being his, but he is yet to find a place to put it in Georgia, largely because he doesn't want the court altered and international basketball is played with different dimensions.
His target for installation is May or June – "when we're hopefully done playing in the playoffs" – and he may follow suit by purchasing other used NBA courts, if this move is successful. He doesn't seem to doubt its potential impact.
“Seeing that floor and seeing something from the NBA — the motivation for a young player can be so huge,” he said.