It was always the expectation that Bobby Portis would return to the Milwaukee Bucks, but the news became official today. Multiple sources, including ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported minutes after free agency opened on Thursday that Portis will return to the Bucks on a 4-year, $49 million contract.
Reactions to Bobby Portis returning to the Milwaukee Bucks on a four-year deal
BOBBY! BOBBY! BOBBY! Is there really any other way for a fan of the Milwaukee Bucks to react to this news? Portis, a fan-favorite, will frequently hear his name chanted by the Bucks faithful whenever he makes a big play.
Fans have to be thrilled by the news of Portis returning. Portis has expressed on numerous occasions how much the love from Milwaukee fans means to him, and his return will give them more of an opportunity to keep showing him that love.
Portis is coming off of a career year with the Bucks, which saw him average career-highs in both points and rebounds per game with 14.6 points and 9.1 rebounds. Portis was given a much larger role in his second season with the Bucks, as he was Milwaukee’s starting center for a large majority of the season while Brook Lopez recovered from back surgery.
Lopez’s return to the starting lineup towards the end of the regular season and heading into next season allows Portis to return to his role as Milwaukee’s sixth man. Portis was able to make a name for himself during his first season in Milwaukee in 2020-2021 as the team’s sixth man. His return to the role should put him in a position to be a candidate for the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award next season.
His return to the sixth man role will greatly benefit the Bucks. For a large majority of the season last year, the Bucks struggled with their bench scoring. Milwaukee obviously was expecting Portis to come off the bench last year, but he had to fill in for the injured Lopez. Adding a player coming off of a season where he averaged 14 points per game to the bench will certainly be a help.
Portis is the perfect player for Milwaukee to keep a championship culture together. His constant effort and determination to win can inspire all of Milwaukee’s team. It also gets the crowd into the game, which usually leads to the team playing with more energy.
Portis had an opportunity last offseason to go get the money that he got this offseason, but he took a discount to stay in Milwaukee and try to compete for a championship. That discounted year was worth it for Portis, with him securing his bag one year later and getting to stay with the Bucks while getting it.
Portis is deserving of all of the money that he’s getting from the Bucks. Portis has already become one of the most recognizable figures in the city of Milwaukee, and the next four years will only give him more time to continue to add to his legend.
Stay tuned for more news from the Milwaukee Bucks offseason.