The Milwaukee Bucks made a qualifying offer to forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute on Tuesday, a move that will allow them to match any contract offers made by other teams.

Mbah a Moute will be a restricted free agent, but his status could be in limbo if the owners lock out NBA players when the current collective bargaining agreement expires June 30.

In a usual year, Mbah a Moute would be able to receive offers from other teams starting July 1, but that may not be the case, depending on the result of negotiations between players and owners.