4 Bucks Who Won't Survive the 2025 Trade Deadline

3. Bobby Portis, Forward

Since arriving in Milwaukee in the 2020 offseason, Portis has become a beloved figure among Bucks fans. He is fiery, plays hard, and provides a much-needed spark to the team off the bench. He has turned himself into one of the best sixth-men in the league over the last couple of years.

At the same time, his defensive deficiencies can be too much to deal with. He can only guard power forwards reasonably well. He struggles against quick perimeter players and gets overwhelmed by bigger, bruising centers. He doesn't protect the rim, making it hard to play him as a center.

Portis has a very specific role on this team as a bench scorer and he plays that role very well.

However, he makes too much money for that role. His $12.5 million salary for this year and $13.4 player option for next year could be better utilized by the Bucks.

Moreover, Portis is one of the few expendable Bucks players with some trade value. Teams around the league will want to give up assets to acquire Portis. This will allow the Bucks to upgrade their roster using his salary, combined with other players on the list to get a true difference-maker.