2 potential trade ideas for Milwaukee Bucks’ Bobby Portis

I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but I explored trades the Milwaukee Bucks could make centered around fan-favorite Bobby Portis.

Portis has carved out a piece of Milwaukee’s heart, often drawing chants of “Bobby” from the fans at Fiserv Forum. That love is well deserved as he pours his blood, sweat and tears onto the court, fighting for rebounds, flexing after putbacks and bringing the intensity the Bucks often need.

Unfortunately, the NBA is a business, and difficult decisions must be made.

The Milwaukee Bucks’ best way to shake up their roster is to address the middle of their roster. Here are two trade ideas for Bobby Portis.

I searched every team in the NBA, hunting for potential trades Milwaukee could make that involved Portis. This exercise was more challenging than others, as it was difficult to find the right match.

The NBA limits trades based on salary matching, but the struggles went beyond that. Portis had to go to the right type of team. A rebuilding team isn’t too interested in a 28-year-old with three years remaining on his contract (two plus a player option). Although I searched their rosters for potential deals, it’s contending teams that I project will be most interested.

Another complicating factor is roster construction. Portis can play either of the frontcourt spots, but teams generally aren’t going to carry more than four capable big men on their roster. The Bucks notoriously only played three under Mike Budenholzer, so four would even be a stretch for some teams. And with a plethora of capable big men across the NBA, that limited potential Portis suitors even more.

Therefore, without further ado, I present two potential Bobby Portis trades I was able to construct:

The Bucks would likely have to attach draft capital (their 2029 first-round pick) to make this one work, but they would be getting an electric scorer in Norman Powell. For their troubles, the Los Angeles Clippers would get two rotational players and begin rebuilding the depth they sorely lack.

He’s bounced around the NBA the last three years–playing for three different teams in that span–, but Powell has scored wherever he’s been. He does a nice job spreading out his shot profile, taking about one-third of his shots from around the rim, in the mid-range and from behind the arc. He’s most impactful from deep, where he knocked down 39.7 percent of his threes last year. He’s also adept at attacking the rim and drawing fouls.

At 6-foot-4, he’s a bit undersized for a wing, but he could fill multiple positions for the Bucks. He could slide into Allen’s starting spot and play between Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton. That would give the Bucks three dynamic scorers plus Giannis Antetokounmpo in the starting lineup.

If they want to spread the scoring love, they could move him to the bench, where he’s excelled as a sixth man. That would allow them to start someone like Jae Crowder or Joe Ingles (if they re-sign), Pat Connaughton, Jevon Carter (if he accepts his player option), or even MarJon Beauchamp.

When someone like Portis does you a solid with the contracts he’s signed in recent years, you try to return the favor while also looking to improve your team. The Bucks do that here, as they reunite him with Darvin Ham on the Lakers.

Getting two bigs in return for Portis would signal a change under new head coach Adrian Griffin. Assuming they bring back Brook Lopez, that would mean Milwaukee would have four capable bigs in their rotation, something they rarely used under MIke Budenholzer. One possibility would be to go gigantic and slide Giannis Antetokounmpo into the three-slot.

Mo Bamba would give Milwaukee a long-term option at center once Lopez’s days are over. Up to this point in his career, he’s been more of a theory player than an actual impactful one on the court. However, it’s a risk the Bucks could take that may allow them to sneak a rotational player out from under the nose of other NBA teams.

Thanks to his extreme versatility, Jarred Vanderbilt would allow Milwaukee to run switching defensive units. He can play either frontcourt position and guard positions 1-5. However, his lack of shooting and scoring would be a significant issue.

I break my own rule and get two younger players with upside instead of proven guys. However, Milwaukee will have to look at the roster-constructing puzzle differently this offseason if they want to achieve different results.