The Milwaukee Bucks are in a precarious position as the NBA Trade Deadline approaches.
On one hand, they’re desperately in need of wing depth and defensive versatility to bolster their championship aspirations. On the other hand, they’re already paper-thin in the frontcourt, and trading Bobby Portis—a player who has been rumored to be on the block—could open up a massive hole that they simply can’t afford to fill.
Portis may be having a down year defensively, but his size, scoring punch and energy are irreplaceable for a team that can’t rely solely on Brook Lopez and Giannis Antetokounmpo to man the paint. If the Milwaukee Bucks aren’t careful, their attempt to address one weakness could exacerbate another, leaving them even more vulnerable in the playoffs.
Let’s start with the obvious: the Milwaukee Bucks are already dangerously thin in the frontcourt.
Brook Lopez, while still a defensive anchor, is 35 years old and can’t be expected to play heavy minutes every night. Giannis, for all his superhuman abilities, can’t shoulder the entire burden of protecting the rim and rebounding.
That leaves Bobby Portis as the only reliable big man off the bench—a role he’s filled admirably for years, even if his defensive metrics have taken a hit this season.
Having no backup plan in place could create more problems than it solves
Portis is averaging 13.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, and two assists per game this year, providing the Bucks with much-needed scoring and rebounding off the bench. The fact that he was a Sixth Man of the Year finalist multiple times should tell you all you need to know about his importance to this team.
He's very clearly taken a step back across the board, but his offensive talent is all too often lost in the conversation. His ability to stretch the floor (shooting a pretty decent 36.4 percent from three) and crash the glass has been a key part of Milwaukee’s success in recent seasons. Yes, his defense has been subpar—opposing bigs are shooting 54 percent at the rim when Portis is the primary defender—but his offensive contributions have always made him a valuable piece of the puzzle.
There’s no denying that the Milwaukee Bucks need help on the wing. Khris Middleton has been in and out of the lineup due to injuries, and the team lacks a true two-way wing who can defend elite scorers and knock down open threes. Trading Portis for a player like Cody Martin, Kyle Kuzma or even a bigger name like Jimmy Butler might seem like a smart move on paper, but it would leave the Bucks with a glaring hole in their frontcourt rotation.
If Portis is traded, the Bucks would be left with Lopez and Giannis as their only true big men. Tyler Smith, Liam Robbins and Chris Livingston, while promising, have shown they’re not ready for significant minutes—and Doc Rivers has made it clear he doesn’t trust them.
This would force the Bucks to play small-ball lineups more often, which could be disastrous against teams with dominant bigs like Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic or Anthony Davis. The Bucks’ defense, already ranked 11th in the league for the season as of this writing, would likely take another hit without Portis’ size and physicality.
Doc Rivers’ reluctance to play young players like Smith and Livingston only adds to the problem.
If the Bucks trade Portis, they’d be putting all their eggs in the Lopez-Giannis basket, with no viable backup plan. Rivers has shown a preference for veterans, but the Milwaukee Bucks don’t have the luxury of waiting for a buyout market savior to fall into their laps.
If they trade Portis, they’d be betting on internal development from players who haven’t earned Rivers’ trust—a risky proposition for a team with championship aspirations.
The Bucks are walking a tightrope as the trade deadline approaches
They need to improve their wing depth, but they can’t afford to do so at the expense of their frontcourt. Trading Bobby Portis might seem like an easy solution, but it would leave the team dangerously thin in the paint and overly reliant on Lopez and Giannis.
The Bucks need to be strategic in their approach, targeting moves that address their weaknesses without creating new ones. If they’re not careful, they could end up with a roster that’s even more unbalanced—and a championship window that’s slammed shut.
The pressure is on for the Milwaukee Bucks’ front office to get this right. One misstep, and they could find themselves with a massive hole they can’t fill.
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