The Milwaukee Bucks were surprisingly one of the more active teams at the NBA trade deadline earlier this month.
Milwaukee traded veteran Khris Middleton, AJ Johnson, draft capital, and cash consideration to the Washington Wizards in exchange for Kyle Kuzma and draft compensation. Then, the Bucks acquired big man Jericho Sims in a trade from the New York Knicks.
Finally, Milwaukee parted ways with former first-round pick MarJon Beauchamp sending him to the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for Kevin Porter Jr.
While most of the attention is on Kuzma as the Bucks parted ways with one of their core players in Middleton, Porter Jr. is already making a big impression on superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo.
I think Giannis likes Kevin Porter Jr pic.twitter.com/fXAqBgmOMm
— 𝐁𝐨𝐛𝐛𝐲𝐬𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 🌎⌚️ (@BobbysWorld414) February 22, 2025
"Oh, I love him. He’s nice. I’m not even gonna lie to you, I feel like he’s like a steal. He’s nice, guys, really nice. Defensively, he plays hard. I believe he’s one of those players that just want to feel wanted. I’m not gonna say loved but he wants to feel good energy around him. He wants to be around a team that trusts him and trusts his decision-making."
"He’s been incredible these past two games I’ve played with him," Antetokounmpo continued. "His spacing is incredible. He’s able to get to his spot, create for others."
The veteran forward continued to complement Porter Jr.’s defensive skills, which the team needs with Middleton playing in Washington. Antetokounmpo also mentioned that his younger brother, Alex, played with Porter Jr. on PAOK BC in Greece last season.
Since arriving in Milwaukee earlier this month, Porter Jr. is averaging 9.5 points, 3.0 assists, and 3.0 rebounds in 17.8 minutes per game.
In the Bucks’ last outing against the Wizards, the former first-round pick had 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the field. He also added three steals, three rebounds, and three assists in 23 minutes off the bench.