As their roster crunch looms, Kevin Porter Jr. is among the players reportedly on the chopping block for the Milwaukee Bucks. Per NBA insider Jake Fischer (subscription required), the Bucks, who need to shed two standard contracts before the season, are weighing deals involving Porter. If they trade him, Brayden Burries' importance suddenly increases drastically.
Porter trade knocks out several birds with one stone
Porter is a good player who can help the Milwaukee Bucks. The problem is that he's one of the players attractive to teams, is on a decent salary, and is caught in Milwaukee's backcourt logjam. If they move him, not only do they free up a roster spot, but they could also potentially acquire some form of draft compensation and open up time for younger Bucks whose roles are currently far from certain.
Burries, in particular, would benefit from Porter being moved. Milwaukee would need a leader in the second unit following a Porter trade, and based on everything he's shown since joining the Bucks, Burries is more than ready for the opportunity. Trading Porter would show just how much faith the Milwaukee Bucks have in Burries to take on this responsibility.
Porter can be of use to a team without guard logjam
It's been a quiet preseason for Porter. Sure, he hasn't played an overly prominent role in two games, but averaging 6.5 points while shooting 16.7 percent from the field hasn't stood out. Even with that, teams know that he's a bucket-getter who took massive strides as a facilitator when healthy during a mini breakout with the Milwaukee Bucks last season.
For a contender looking to add a second unit sparkplug who can orchestrate the reserves, Porter is a quality trade target and one who wouldn't cost much to acquire.
The question is what a deal might look like. Do the Bucks trade Porter straight up? Do they look to include him alongside Jericho Sims or Caris LeVert? Fischer mentioned that those two were both also among Milwaukee's current trade candidates. Even if the team does move Porter, they need to clear at least one more spot, so it would make sense to pursue some sort of package deal.
No matter what the return in a Porter trade looks like, the true reward would be seeing what Burries can do on a larger scale in his place. This move could see Burries hit the ground running early.
Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis.
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