Milwaukee Bucks: Getting to know forward Bobby Portis

Looking at Bobby Portis’ well-traveled NBA career

Portis entered the NBA when he was selected with the 22nd overall pick by the Chicago Bulls in the 2015 NBA Draft.

However, there was a chance that Portis’ time in Milwaukee could have begun far sooner than this season as some members of the Bucks’ front office at the time, mainly general manager John Hammond, reportedly wanted Portis before they ultimately selected UNLV guard Rashad Vaughn.

Nevertheless, Portis got off to a promising start with the Bulls in their post-Tom Thibodeau shuffle with the arrival of Fred Hoiberg. But as Portis’ time in Chicago grew, the forward struggled to build on the promise and potential he showed early on during his time in the Windy City amid plenty of dysfunction within the organization.

His time in Chicago may be best highlighted by a practice scuffle between Portis and fellow forward Nikola Mirotic that led to Portis punching Mirotic, leaving the Montenegrin with a concussion and multiple facial fractures. As a result, Portis was suspended for eight games to start the 2017-18 season. Eventually Mirotic was shipped out later that season and Portis continued on his with his Bulls stint with far less drama surrounding him.

After reportedly rejecting a rookie scale contract extension that reportedly came in around the “$40-$50 million range” going into the 2018-19 season, Portis suffered a knee injury that slowed him down early in the campaign. And eventually, Portis and former Bucks player Jabari Parker were shipped out to the Washington Wizards ahead of the 2019 trade deadline and Portis finished out the year in the nation’s capital.

From there, Portis headed to the Big Apple after signing a two-year, $31 million deal, the second year containing a $15 million team option, not long into the start of free agency in the summer of 2019.

Playing within a loaded frontcourt did not bring the best out of the Knicks as they trudged through another losing season. Portis, meanwhile, averaged 10.1 points on a .450/.358/.763 slash line, 5.1 rebounds and 1.5 assists across 66 appearances, with five of those coming in starts.

With a new front office in place and having the control over Portis’ $15 million team option, the Knicks declined the 25-year-old’s option and made him an unrestricted free agent, freeing him to join the Bucks late last month.