Trade No. 2 between the Milwaukee Bucks and Indiana Pacers
If that previous deal doesn’t intrigue the Pacers, perhaps this one would due to a previous rumor that was floating around. Per Yahoo! Sport’s Jake Fischer, the Pacers were hunting for an upgrade at power forward leading up to the trade deadline this past season. If they still are, Bobby Portis could perhaps intrigue the Pacers as they look to find a suitable return for Hield.
Portis, coming off a top-three finish in the Sixth Man of the Year race, would be a nice fit for the Pacers next to starting center Myles Turner. With the Bucks, he’s played some of the best ball of his career, having averaged 13.4 points, 8.6 points, and 1.3 assists per game. Portis also secured financially for the next three seasons, so the Pacers would have him locked up.
For Milwaukee, losing Portis would be a blow to a bench that has problems putting points on the board as is. However, the big man has had some trouble staying on the court in the playoffs due to particular matchups. If the Bucks were to trade Portis right now, his value would be the highest it’s ever been coming an incredibly productive year.
If this deal went through, it would pose some major questions about Milwaukee’s frontcourt depth without Portis, as Robin Lopez would be the only backup big. Perhaps the Bucks could use the one roster spot that would open up following this trade on a center to add depth.