Kevin Porter Jr. is expected to decline his player option and hit free agency, opening the door for the Milwaukee Bucks to take Hunter Sallis in the NBA Draft.
Porter was a nice addition at the trade deadline, offering a much-needed scoring punch off the bench and helping the roster become younger and more athletic. However, the Bucks shouldn't look to overpay to bring him back as Wake Forest's Sallis has plenty of college basketball experience under his belt and can be a nice sparkplug off the bench in his place.
Hunter Sallis is the perfect Porter replacement for the Bucks
Sallis is working out with the Bucks as they finally look to be targeting players with college experience. The senior guard averaged 18.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.2 steals on shooting splits of .457/.277/.804 during the 2024-25 season.
In his final two years of college as a Demon Deacon, Sallis showed his ability to score at a reliable rate, and that is what the Milwaukee Bucks have failed to add in recent draft classes. Andrew Nembhard for the Indiana Pacers has shown against the Bucks and all playoffs long that there is value to be found in the second round.
He has a rangy frame at 6-foot-5. There are questions about his size, as he played at 175 lbs last season. There will be concerns over how he will hold up defensively, and it may see bulkier wings being taken over him. Yet, he has shown good defensive instincts despite being slightly undersized.
Another area for Sallis to work on is that he sometimes settles for poor-quality shots rather than using all of the shot clock. Porter has the exact same trait, but with Sallis only just entering the league, it will be easier to work with and slowly ease out of his game.
There are so many directions the Bucks can go in this draft. Brook Lopez is expected to leave, which opens a hole in the frontcourt. On the wing, they aren't blessed with talent as both Jackson and Livingston have struggled to make a true impact on the rotation for the coming years.
Milwaukee needs players who can help now. Sallis is exactly that. Damian Lillard's injury leaves quite a void in the backcourt, especially if Kevin Porter Jr. walks. Adding Sallis would help fill the void to some degree by giving the Milwaukee Bucks another scorer.