Reactions to Bobby Portis declining player option with Milwaukee Bucks

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Wednesday that Bobby Portis will decline his 2022-2023 player option with the Milwaukee Bucks and become a free agent. The news was expected by many, but made official on Wednesday.

Reactions to Bobby Portis declining his 2022-2023 player option with the Milwaukee Bucks and becoming a free agent

The first thing to keep in mind with Wednesday’s news is that it’s not the end of the world for the Milwaukee Bucks. Recent rumors have pointed towards Portis staying in Milwaukee, just for a much bigger number than his player option of $4.6 million would’ve given him.

Portis has become a fan-favorite during his two years in Milwaukee. Portis is one of the game’s ultimate competitors and always gives his maximum effort when he’s on the court. His effort is much appreciated by the Bucks faithful, who will often chant his name when that effort is showcased.

Portis has put together two of the best seasons of his career in Milwaukee. In his first year with the Bucks in 2020-2021, Portis became one of the league’s top sixth men. Playing in a little over 20 minutes per game, Portis compiled averages of 11.4 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. Portis was tremendous shooting the ball in year one with shooting percentages of 52.3 from the field and 47.1 from three.

Portis was thrown into a much larger role in his second year with Milwaukee and thrived. Portis averaged career highs in points and rebounds per game with 14.6 points and 9.1 rebounds, while also getting the most starts of his career with 59. His shooting numbers were a bit down in year two at 47.9 percent from the field and 39.3 percent from three, but that is to be expected with how amazing of a shooter he was in his first year with the Bucks.

We’ve seen Portis hit free agency before. Last year, Portis was a free agent after the team’s championship run and decided to stay for a discount to keep a championship roster together.

This year, Portis is expected to stay again, but at a much bigger price tag. Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer recently reported that Bobby Portis seems destined to return to Milwaukee on a four-year deal north of $40 million. The league-wide expectation is that Portis wants to remain in Milwaukee. ESPN’s Bobby Marks detailed exactly what Milwaukee could offer Portis. Marks reports that the maximum that Portis can stay in Milwaukee for is a 4-year, $49 million deal. He also states that the contract has to be for a minimum of 2 seasons and cannot include an option in year 2.

Bobby Portis has been a significant part of Milwaukee being able to build a championship team. If not for Portis, you could argue that the Bucks would not have won the NBA Championship in 2021. Portis has been a big part of the championship culture that Milwaukee has been able to set. He’s one of the dog-like players that P.J. Tucker talked about when he came to the Bucks last year.

A pay raise for Portis is certainly deserved following the production that he’s had in Milwaukee the last two years. Our hope as fans should be that recent reports are true and Portis will indeed stay in Milwaukee.

Stay tuned for any updates on what the Bucks and Portis will do this offseason.