3 Milwaukee Bucks Who Could Be Traded During 2024 NBA Draft

2. Bobby Portis

This may be a tough pill to swallow for Bucks’ fans, but it’s the unfortunate reality of the business side of the NBA. The Bucks have a real opportunity to trade Bobby Portis on draft night(s).

Portis has been a dynamic scorer off the bench for the Bucks since he arrived in Milwaukee in 2020. During his four seasons, he’s averaged 13.5 points and 8.3 rebounds per game while finishing as a finalist for the Sixth Man of the Year award multiple times.

This resurgence has allowed him to reinvent himself as a reliable player in the NBA. However, his usefulness to the Bucks may have peaked, and it may be time for Milwaukee to explore other avenues.

Although Portis has been a reliable scorer off the bench, he tends to hold onto the ball for too long in search of his own bucket. This can muddy the Bucks’ offense and take opportunities away from Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard, and Khris Middleton.

The biggest issue, however, is his defensive prowess or lack thereof. He’s not big or athletic enough to be a rim protector and not quick enough to switch onto smaller players and stay in front of them on the perimeter. That leaves him in a tough spot on the defensive end of the court.

He will earn $12.6 million next season with a player option worth $13.4 million in 2025-26, when he’ll be 30 years old. Unlike Connaughton, however, he can likely earn more than his player option on his next contract which essentially makes him an expiring deal. He’s extension eligible this summer and if the Bucks don’t have plans to ink him to a new deal, they’d be wise to move him in a trade and recoup assets that fit their current vision of the team.