The Milwaukee Bucks are faced with the possibility that their beloved sixth man, Bobby Portis, may be off elsewhere in free agency.
While we all wait to see what Portis does for his decision as to whether to opt into his deal at $3.8 million for next season, it’s not a matter of when Portis returns to Milwaukee but if. And that’s certainly an optimistic way to look at it.
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With all of that in mind, the Bucks are bracing for Portis’ decision on his option and will surely have contingency plans in place when his decision comes in and he likely re-enters free agency.
So without further ado, let’s look at three replacements the Milwaukee Bucks can find in free agency to address Bobby Portis’ potential departure.
Jeff Green could be a suitable replacement for the Milwaukee Bucks if Bobby Portis leaves
There’s already some buzz between the Bucks and Jeff Green, which has come courtesy of ESPN’s Zach Lowe and Adrian Wojnarowski.
On their recent free agency special, both Woj and Lowe outlined why Green would potentially be had for Milwaukee, given the limited free agent resources the Nets are facing and with Green looking for more than a minimum deal:
"“Woj: Maybe a place for Jeff Green if he were to leave Brooklyn? Lowe: Milwaukee Woj: Because (the Bucks) have to pay Bobby Portis and they can’t pay Bobby Portis what he’s probably going to get on the market.”"
Of course, potentially chasing after Green would only be a reaction to losing Portis if he lands more money and more years than the Bucks can feasibly offer. The Bucks are perfectly justified in targeting Green if that does indeed prove to be real as Green offers the same kind of size and shooting that Portis excels in while offering a little bit more versatility and mobility defensively.
Green is coming off his season with the Nets having averaged 11 points on .492/.412/.776 shooting splits and a career-high 62.4 true shooting percentage, along with 3.9 rebounds and 1.6 assists.
With Green looking for more money, the Bucks would have no choice but to use part or all of their $5.8 million mid-level exception to procure him and we’ll see just how much Green ends up getting in free agency, whether that’s Milwaukee or elsewhere.
Paul Millsap could be a suitable replacement for the Milwaukee Bucks if Bobby Portis leaves
Before Bucks fans get up in arms about the Budenholzer-Hawks connection that has certainly made its way over to Milwaukee, Paul Millsap certainly brings a level of expertise and experience the Bucks will need to defend their title.
Like Green, Millsap has the size and shooting the Bucks need to cover for Portis’ departure. With that said, though, Millsap isn’t the lights out shooter and floor spacer that the Bucks need properly replace Portis. Millsap averaged 9 points while shooting 34.3 percent from beyond the arc, 4.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists across 56 appearances this season.
And like Green, Millsap is getting up there in age as he’ll be going into his age-36 season and his durability will naturally be a question mark for a veteran-laden team like the Bucks. How that affects his athleticism and mobility, especially as Milwaukee moves away from their tried and true drop defensive scheme at times, will be a pertinent question for Millsap to answer.
After re-upping to stay with the Denver Nuggets last season on a one-year, $10 million deal, the Denver Post’s Mike Singer believes that the Nuggets won’t bring back both Millsap and JaMychal Green, who recently declined his player option. That certainly greases the wheels for Millsap to join with a title contender and perhaps a reunion with Budenholzer will sway him in one direction or another.
Rudy Gay could be a suitable replacement for the Milwaukee Bucks if Bobby Portis leaves
If the Bucks want to find a veteran forward who can both help and cover what they could lose with Portis heading elsewhere, Rudy Gay stands as an under-the-radar option they could turn to.
Gay is coming off a four-year stint with the San Antonio Spurs where quietly reinvented himself as a nice role player and especially after having torn his Achilles during the 2016-17 season while as a member of the Sacramento Kings.
Last season, Gay averaged 11.4 points on .420/.381/.804 shooting splits, 4.8 rebounds an 1.4 assists across 63 appearances with San Antonio.
Considering the shared systems and ethos the Bucks and Spurs have established by way of head coach Mike Budenholzer, Gay won’t have to make much of an adjustment in potentially coming to Milwaukee. With the offensive pedigree he brings, which includes improvements as a 3-point shooters, and standing as a rangy defender, Gay has all of the abilities that are needed to thrive as a supporting contributor on this Bucks team
Now looking at a pay cut, Gay will certainly have plenty of interest from teams around the league and the Bucks can use part of or all of their mid-level exception to lure him to Milwaukee if he wants a chance at postseason success.
We only have a few more days before the question of whether Portis eventually ends up leaving Milwaukee will be answered and how they’ll look to address his potential departure. Stay tuned.