As things stand, Kevin Porter Jr. is the backup point guard for the Milwaukee Bucks, leaving young guard Kasparas Jakucionis buried on the depth chart. However, as chatter lingers surrounding the Bucks potentially contemplating a Porter trade to trim their roster, Jakucionis' time to shine could come sooner than expected, as Milwaukee would need a backup floor general.
Porter trade could throw Jakucionis in head-first
The Milwaukee Bucks have an assortment of guards, but only a select few can be trusted to run the offense when needed. Ryan Rollins and Tyler Herro will handle that in the starting five, while Porter is more than capable of running a second unit. However, if he gets traded, as NBA insider Jake Fischer (subscription required) reports is something the team has discussed, their options will be slim.
AJ Green, Caris LeVert, and Gary Trent Jr. aren't orchestrating much. Brayden Burries is showing that he's ready for the spotlight, but he's more of a combo guard best suited to play the two to kick off his career. That leaves Jakucionis, the lone pure point guard on the entire team, as the likeliest candidate to step into Porter's place if he gets traded.
Despite being just 20 years old, the young point guard has shown impressive glimpses of floor general capabilities on offense through his college, professional, and overseas outings. If Porter gets moved, Jakucionis would have a golden opportunity to show what he's capable of on a larger scale, likely surpassing the 17.8 minutes per game he averaged as a Miami Heat rookie last year.
Bucks' roster cutdown looms large for Porter, Jakucionis
After waiving Pete Nance, who could make his way back onto the roster soon, the Milwaukee Bucks still need to part with one more player. It makes sense that Porter is one player they are considering. While he can certainly help this team, he's productive, on an affordable deal, and the Bucks' logjam in the backcourt could see some relief if he gets traded.
While Porter isn't the lone Buck being discussed in trades, as Fischer mentioned Caris LeVert and big man Jericho Sims are also on the table, it wouldn't be shocking if teams were focused on Porter. If the Milwaukee Bucks believe in Jakucionis, perhaps trading Porter becomes easier to stomach. Time will tell, but with the glimpses Jakucionis has shown, it would make sense to get him on the floor soon.
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