The Milwaukee Bucks might go through a significant overhaul this offseason. Team owner Jimmy Haslam made it loud and clear that they would consider moving on from Giannis Antetokounmpo at the right price.
With Giannis likely on the move before or during the 2026 NBA Draft, the front office will have some tough decisions to make with the remainder of the roster. Some guys may not be good fits anymore, and with Taylor Jenkins taking the reins of the team, he may also want to move on from some players.
Notably, that might mean the end of the Kevin Porter Jr. era in Milwaukee. As pointed out by The Athletic's John Hollinger, the Bucks have Bird rights to him and could probably bring him back. That said, it might not be in their best interests.
The Bucks might not want to keep Kevin Porter Jr.
"Porter was the Bucks’ second-best player in 2025-26 and might be the best one when camp opens, even while going cold from 3 (just 32.2 percent) in his 38 games," wrote Hollinger. "... As an early Bird rights player, the Bucks can pay an estimated $15.6 million in 2026-27 salary to retain him if need be — just beating the non-taxpayer MLE amount ($15 million) that would let other teams in the door. A deal for a bit less than that, in the neighborhood of three years and $40 million, seems like a reasonable sweet spot."
On paper, there's no reason to believe the Bucks shouldn't want their second-leading scorer back on the team. Nevertheless, Porter's reputation precedes him, and he may not be the right guy to play for Taylor Jenkins.
Jenkins is a defensive-minded guy, and Porter doesn't even try. Moreover, he already dealt with a hot-heated athletic scoring guard in Ja Morant, and he may not want to go through that again. Porter deserves the benefit of the doubt, but he has repeatedly burned bridges with his attitude.
Moreover, the Bucks must figure out the best course of action based on their trade package for Giannis. If they get a primary scorer, they shouldn't have Porter Jr. hogging shots and taking touches away from him, especially if they won't be a playoff-caliber team.
Porter Jr. did all the right things in his brief time in Milwaukee, and other teams might want to look past the red flags and make him a mid-tier offer to give him a chance to play for a contender. He doesn't take losing lightly, and with all the uncertainty with the Bucks, he may also rather take his talents elsewhere.
The Bucks are going through a transition, but they must fully embrace it. They can't halfheartedly rebuild, or they'll end up stuck in the worst possible place in professional sports. If they're truly committed to moving on from Giannis, they have to maximize every asset they get and every chance to land their next franchise player, even if that means not being that competitive in the near future.
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