The Milwaukee Bucks’ front office has a growing conundrum on their hands, and it’s being wholly influenced by the league’s latest market-setting deals. Because with Collin Gillespie securing a four-year, $48 million contract to stay in Phoenix, the market for reliable, grit-and-grind type of guards has been officially raised. And for a Milwaukee front office that is currently weighing the future of Kevin Porter Jr., Gillespie’s payday serves as a loud reminder of what the market thinks a productive guard is worth.
To recall, Gillespie and the Phoenix Suns just recently agreed to a four-year, $48 million fully guaranteed deal to lock up one of the better backup guards in the league at a tidy $12 million annually. It's a fair contract for sure, considering his impact on the Suns this season. But in the eyes of the rest of the association, it's also a market-setter.
Collin Gillespie's payday just put Milwaukee in a tough spot
Porter Jr. currently holds a $5.39 million player option for 2026-27. Of course, nobody in their right mind should expect him to exercise it. Any player who just put up those numbers, at 26 years old, on a $5 million option is about to test a market shaped by Gillespie's deal.
From where this writer is standing, there is a strong argument to be made that Porter Jr. is simply a better player. Which means he now has all the leverage he needs to command more money in any contract discussions going forward, whether that's with Milwaukee or wherever he ends up next.
Just this season, Porter Jr. put up 17.4 points, 7.4 assists, 5.2 rebounds, and 2.2 steals before going down with injury. When healthy, he is simply on a different tier. If Gillespie gets $12 million annually for being a great backup, Porter's market likely starts at somewhere around the range of $18 to 20 million at the minimum.
Milwaukee is unlikely to match that kind of expectation. The Bucks are deep in offseason restructuring, with the Giannis trade situation still unresolved and a roster that could look completely different by October. Committing significant money to Porter in that environment requires a clarity of vision the organization doesn't yet have. Do they see him as the lead guard of the rebuild? Or a bridge piece until a draft pick is ready?
Kevin Porter Jr. could be on his way out of Milwaukee soon
This development certainly puts the Bucks' recent draft moves into perspective. Milwaukee has worked out the likes of Arkansas' Darius Acuff Jr. and has likewise expressed interest in Illinois' Wagler and Houston's Kingston Flemings. If it looks like there's a pattern there, that's because there is one: they're all high-motor scoring guards in the vein of none other than Porter Jr.
A team looking to have as many as three first-round selections in the upcoming draft would only be looking at this many guards if they expect they'll need help in that position in the near future. Are Kevin Porter Jr.'s days as a Buck numbered? This writer certainly thinks so.
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