Despite the Milwaukee Bucks already housing too many guards, they are rumored to be looking at yet another. According to HoopsHype reporter Michael Scotto, the Bucks have explored sign-and-trade interest in restricted free agent Bennedict Mathurin. If the Bucks add yet another guard, they will have to unload one or two elsewhere, and Kevin Porter Jr. would certainly be an unmistakable candidate.
Mathurin could put Porter under a spotlight
Milwaukee simply has too many guards right now. Depth is never a bad thing, but when the roster has more players than it is allowed to, problems arise. The Bucks will have to cut at least two players who have standard contracts before the regular season begins, and the addition of Mathurin would put a target on Porter's back.
First of all, they play the same position and both need the ball often. If Milwaukee is investing heavily in Mathurin, they would likely want him getting a bulk of the touches next to Ryan Rollins and Tyler Herro. Having all four players, plus Brayden Burries, Kasparas Jakucionis, and Gary Trent Jr., fighting for touches is asking for trouble offensively.
The roster would be built on having too many guards who need the basketball. That's not a recipe for success in today's NBA.
Porter would have value if dangled in trades
Despite battling the injury bug this past season, Porter is a valuable player. When he did play, he put up 17.4 points, 7.4 assists, and 5.2 rebounds per contest. Players like that don't grow on trees. If the Bucks didn't have too many guards, they likely would have been elated when he elected to return to the team by accepting his $5.4 million player option—that salary also makes him desirable to teams.
It's unclear if the LA Clippers would have any interest in reacquiring Porter after they sent him to the Milwaukee Bucks last year, but that could be an option if a sign-and-trade goes through. They could also look to flip him elsewhere to send the Clippers more assets. At this point, it's too early to report anything concrete, as Milwaukee's Mathurin interest is still fresh out of the box.
Above all else, Milwaukee's rumored interest in Mathurin, as well as fellow free agents Peyton Watson and Jonathan Kuminga, shows that they are far from finished tweaking this roster. The significant trade exception they acquired in the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade could be very useful if the wheels get turning on a sign-and-trade for any of these young players.
Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis.
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