Bobby Portis’ time with the Milwaukee Bucks has been both a blessing and a curse. Portis was an instrumental part of the 2021 title run and provided the energy and edge that all contenders need. The other side of the coin is that Portis can be bull-headed, a ball stopper, and when his motor runs high, he can get himself and the Bucks into trouble. Nothing proved that more than his head smack of Andrew Nembhard in game four of Milwaukee’s first-round matchup with the Indiana Pacers, where he got ejected with the Bucks already missing Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo. The time has come to end the Bobby Portis experience and I am here to find three different trades to send the Sixth Man of the Year finalist.
Bobby Heads to the Bay
Despite the offensive punch that Portis can bring on a nightly basis, his habit of tapping balls out to the perimeter instead of securing the rebound on both ends of the floor was headache-inducing to watch. The Bucks make a three-team deal with the Golden State Warriors and Brooklyn Nets to get Kevon Looney for defense and his willpower to not turn into former Marquette volleyball All-American Allie Barber when it comes to rebounding. Looney is a strong rebounder and will provide much-needed defensive effort off the Bucks’ bench.
On the other end of the trade, Moses Moody gets sent to Brooklyn for salary purposes. Moody did play the most games per minute of his short three-year career (17.5 minutes per game) he still found himself behind veteran Klay Thompson and All-Rookie first-teamer Brandon Podziemski in the rotation. Sending him to the Nets gives him more opportunity to play and show off his true potential. This trade would also signal a likelihood that the Warriors are looking to make one last push and would probably re-sign Thompson.
A near one-for-one swap
In this trade package, the Bucks stick with a team out of the Pacific Division, this time with the Los Angeles Clippers as they swap Bobby and the Portland second-round pick for Terance Mann.
Mann becomes a substantial upgrade either in the starting lineup over Malik Beasley/Patrick Beverley or off the bench over Jae Crowder and Andre Jackson Jr. Mann averaged 8.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists on shooting efficiencies of 51.5% FG, 34.8% 3PT% and 83.2 FT%. On the defensive end, Mann had a rating of 98.3, while Portis had the second-worst defensive rating on the Bucks (116.0) and Crowder wasn’t too much better (114.6). While I (and some of my colleagues) believe that Mann has topped out of what his potential could be, I think his play style, athleticism, and production are what the Bucks need over Portis. The wing depth on the Bucks outside of Middleton and Giannis was paper-thin last year with Crowder, Beauchamp, Jackson Jr., Beasley, and Connaughton. Mann raises the floor of the Bucks and allows them to say goodbye to Crowder and potentially Beasley.
Playing ball with a Central Division rival
Now this final trade could not be completed until after July 1 at the earliest. According to the CBA, the Bucks are considered a second apron team until June 30, so they cannot send out aggregated salaries. Even on July 1, they’ll be a second apron team unless they can cut about $3.8m in salary, assuming they keep their first-round pick and pick up options on A.J. Green and Andre Jackson Jr.
Let’s say they can accomplish this before then and this trade does get done on July 1, it would provide an immediate upgrade for the Bucks’ biggest need: perimeter defense. In this trade, the Bulls send out the expiring contract of Alex Caruso for Bobby, MarJon Beauchamp, and no. 23 in this year’s draft.
From the Bulls’ side of the deal, they need to hit the reset button on this core. Outside of a miracle season from Lonzo Ball and Zach Lavine, the Bulls are clearly a team whose ceiling is first-round exit, second-round if they get lucky. Dealing Caruso for Portis (who they can trade at the deadline for more pieces), a young player who needs a change of scenery in Beauchamp, and another first-rounder they can either use to select a player or trade up is what this team needs to do in order to build an actual contender. For the Bucks, it does sting to trade their only first-round pick until 2026, but Caruso is too valuable of a player to not garner a first-round pick in addition to the two other players. Caruso would instantly be the other starting guard next to Damian Lillard and would take the toughest guard assignment every night. Caruso is also a reliable three-point shooter, shooting 40.8% on 4.7 attempts per game, and doesn’t need the ball in his hand, as 136 of his 172 made jump shots were assisted. In a vacuum, I think this trade makes sense for both sides, but my only qualm would be the idea of the Bucks and Bulls making a trade. It’s not unheard of for teams in the same division to make a trade, but I find this one to be a bit more difficult to see coming to fruition.
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