The Bucks confirmed they matched an offer sheet Bell signed with the Miami Heat for the restricted free-agent guard, a five-year deal worth $18.5 million.

Agent Mark Bartelstein said that Bell was absorbing what had happened and "getting his thoughts together."

"He's going to get himself prepared to have a great year with the Bucks and play his heart out, the only way he knows how to play," Bartelstein said.

The 6-foot-3 Bell had said he did not want to play for Milwaukee and instead wanted to go to Miami, which failed earlier in the offseason to sign Mo Williams away from the Bucks.

Bell averaged a career-high 13.5 points in a breakout season last year for the Bucks, making 64 starts.

Bell told The Associated Press earlier this week that the Bucks didn't want to give him a long-term deal and didn't have the money available to resign him. Before the Heat moved in, Bell was mulling an offer to play in Greece.

"Restricted free agency is a very tough process," Bartelstein said. "As a player, you don't know where you're going to be, you have through getting an offer sheet. It's hard, very hard."

Two seasons ago, Bell signed with Milwaukee after averaging a league-best 27 points for Breogan of the Spanish league.

He went undrafted after helping Michigan State win the 2000 national championship, played briefly with Phoenix and Dallas before spending three seasons in Italy.

Williams was Miami's top pursuit at point guard this summer, but could only offer him a deal worth around $31 million. The Bucks re-signed Williams for six years and $51.5 million and now have a talented, young core signed.