The Milwaukee Bucks need Bobby Portis. That's not something many fans would have said earlier this season when Portis couldn't find his rhythm. Lately, however, the offense has relied on him heavily for scoring with Giannis Antetokounmpo injured.
At the same time, his improved play has increased his trade value. If the Bucks want to swing for the fences, packaging Portis with Kyle Kuzma is their simplest path to landing a star.
As long as Giannis remains hurt, it will be hard for them to resolve the dilemma as they gauge whether or not this team is good enough to go all-in before the deadline. And in the meantime, Portis could be key to keeping them afloat.
Portis has value to the Bucks, but that also makes him a trade chip
With a team-high 24 points against the Raptors on Thursday, Portis has now scored 20 or more three times in Milwaukee's last five games. He has also been a bit better on the glass. Portis grabbed 12 boards for his second double-double in a week, boosting his December average to seven rebounds per game. He averaged under six in both October and November.
In Giannis' absence, especially, Portis has stepped up while his frontcourt counterpart, Myles Turner, has faded. Turner finally put his foot down with 21 points against Toronto, but before then, he was held to single digits in four of six games this month. Only one other time had he even reached 10 shot attempts.
Kyle Kuzma is hot and cold. The Bucks' other big man, Jericho Sims, is limited to dunks and putbacks. If Turner isn't going to be aggressive, Portis is the only replacement of any kind for Milwaukee's Giannis-sized void in frontcourt scoring.
After a sluggish start, Portis has torched the net from distance. His 3-for-6 outing Thursday was barely enough to raise his season 3-point percentage, which now sits at a blistering 47.7. His volume stats have also spiked. Since an overtime loss to the 76ers on November 20, Portis is averaging 15.3 points per game.
As badly as the Bucks need his contributions, they can't ignore the fact that Portis has built up his value in the trade market. Combining his and Kuzma's salaries is the only realistic way to net a highly paid star. With both players performing above expectations - Portis recently and Kuzma for most of the season - the Bucks may be able to sacrifice fewer additional assets.
They don't have much draft capital or movable young talent as it is, so they must be able to offer value in other forms. If Portis and Kuzma are playing well, teams may be satisfied moving off a large salary in exchange, primarily, for two rotation players to either keep or reroute for picks. More power to the Bucks if that allows them to preserve their coveted 2031 and 2032 first-rounders or at least attach protections to them in trade.
The painful truth is that they haven't been winning, anyway. Bringing in a high-level playmaker might be the only way to raise the ceiling of Milwaukee's star-starved roster. On the flip side, Portis has been a major reason the Bucks are even in games.
One piece of knowledge looms over everything. If the team continues to struggle, the focus may shift from chasing a star to maximizing the return in a Giannis trade. At the moment, Portis' place in the calculus has no obvious answer.