Bucks Are Reportedly "Gauging" Bobby Portis' Value On The Trade Market; OKC Potentially Interested

The Milwaukee Bucks are in the eye of the storm right now as the entire NBA community awaits the fate of Giannis Antetokounmpo. Amidst all the wild speculations, there are other players on the Bucks roster who could also find themselves on the move this week.

On Monday, NBA insider Jake Weinbach echoed earlier reports that Antetokounmpo’s longtime running mate Bobby Portis Jr. could be on the trading block. More notably, Weinbach identified no less than three possible landing spots for the fiery forward.

“The Thunder, along with the Pistons and Hornets, should be considered potential suitors for Bobby Portis if the battle-tested big man were to depart Milwaukee,” Weinbach reported. “The Bucks are reportedly gauging Portis’ value on the market, similar to other veteran players on the team.”

There are two major things to unpack from this report. First, the list of “potential suitors” is interesting, to say the least. The defending champions, the OKC Thunder, reached the NBA’s summit last season with a relatively young roster, and the addition of Portis (an 11-year veteran who also has an NBA title in his resume) would go a long way in the mentorship of the Thunder’s assortment of studs.

Similarly, the Detroit Pistons and the Charlotte Hornets would benefit from having Portis in the locker room, not to mention on the hardcourt. On the one hand, the 6-foot-9 enforcer fits in perfectly with the gritty culture of Detroit basketball; on the other hand, the surging Hornets could take a step further towards bona fide playoff contention if they were to add Portis to the mix.

And then, there’s also the mention of “other veteran players” in Weinbach’s report. While it doesn’t take much to guess which veterans are being alluded to (Kyle Kuzma and Myles Turner have also come up in trade rumors, after all), the bigger story is that all signs are pointing to the Bucks organization blowing up their roster in anticipation of an Antetokounmpo trade.

In the event that the Greek Freak departs Milwaukee, Portis would be a suitable bridge between the old guard and the new generation. However, it’s possible that he won’t even be around to see a fresh era of Bucks basketball.