1 Mock trade Milwaukee Bucks should explore to fix major defensive issue

The Milwaukee Bucks need better defense coming from their centers, there's no way around it.

Bobby Portis and Brook Lopez are not stopping or hardly even slowing down opposing big men. This was on display during the Milwaukee Bucks' blowout loss to the New York Knicks on Friday night, when Karl-Anthony Towns had his way with Brook Lopez, scoring 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting in matchups against Milwaukee's starting center.

Bobby Portis and Brook Lopez both allow players to shoot over 46 percent with them as primary defenders. The Bucks have to upgrade their interior defense because right now, they are allowing the 11th most points per game, allowing their opponents to average 115.7 points per game.

Between Brook Lopez and Bobby Portis, Portis is the one the Bucks should move to try to upgrade their defense, as Lopez has shown that he still can play some defense.

The other part of why the Bucks should consider trading Bobby Portis is because his offense isn't redeeming his defensive shortcomings. This season, his scoring is the second lowest it's been as a Buck since his first season in Milwaukee.

Also his 3-point shooting has dipped significantly, Portis is shooting 25.9 percent from behind the arc to start this season, the lowest mark in his career. As a Buck, Portis has shot 39.9 percent from the 3-point line, thus marking him as a minus defender and inefficient on offense this season.

Bobby Portis is currently carrying a brutal -15.7 net rating this season. Unfortunately, this means his value is lower than it would be if he were playing at the level he has the past two seasons when he finished third in the Sixth Man of the Year voting.

I previously suggested that the Bucks re-open their trade pipeline with the Portland Trail Blazers to trade Bobby Portis for Robert Williams III to help their interior defense. Another option the Bucks could and should explore is targeting Atlanta Hawks big man Larry Nance Jr.

A mock trade between the Bucks and Hawks

On the surface, a potential 1-for-1 trade may not seem like enough to get back for Portis; the Bucks would be selling low, in this scenario, to a Hawks team that could bet on his return to form or flip him for assets closer to the deadline. Time is unfortunately not on the Milwaukee Bucks' side here.

The Hawks would be trading a player on an expiring contract that they got as a throw-in to help salaries match when they traded Dejounte Murray to the New Orleans Pelicans in Larry Nance Jr. in exchange for a two-time Sixth Man of the Year candidate who is off to a bad start.

From the Hawks' perspective, they can trade for Bobby Portis, who is an instant energy guy, gives a scoring boost off the bench and can help space the floor for a guy like Trae Young offensively. The Hawks also have the possibility of having Bobby Portis not just for this year but next year as well if he opts into his player option.

The Hawks could get a solid bench scorer for possibly two seasons or flip him at any point before this year's trade deadline or next year's trade deadline should he opt into his $13.4 million player option. Bringing in Bobby Portis could help the Hawks bench offense that ranks 20th in offensive rating and 27th in net rating.

Larry Nance Jr. isn't going to wow anyone with the occasional 30-point game like Bobby Portis can. However, Nance has had some highlight-reel dunks in his career but overall isn't known for his offense.

Offensively, Larry Nance Jr. isn't a guy that opposing defenses can just ignore and pack the paint against, he is a career 34.9 percent 3-point shooter, which isn't terrible. Nance is a career 54.2 percent field goal shooter and 69.6 percent free throw shooter.

Also, Larry Nance Jr. is a solid screener. Last season, as the pick-and-roll man, the Pelicans scored on 50 percent of possessions, and Nance was in the 39th percentile. Again, Nance isn't going to wow you offensively, but he can hold his own.

Nance has only played in six games so far this season for the Atlanta Hawks after being included in the New Orleans Pelicans' deal for Dejounte Murray this past off-season. To get a clearer picture of what Nance brings, look at his 2023-24 numbers, which include a 111.7 offensive rating. That is nothing crazy, but he did have a strong 108.4 defensive rating.

Nance, despite being undersized as a "center" at 6-foot-8, is known for his defense. For the length of his 10-year career, Nance averages 1.1 steals per game. It's not a crazy number, but it's respectable when you remember he plays as a forward-center.

That 108.4 defensive rating would currently rank third-lowest on the Milwaukee Bucks, lower than Bobby Portis' 119.7, Brook Lopez's 116.6 and even Giannis Antetokounmpo at 113.4. In fact, the only players on the Bucks with a lower defensive rating this season than Nance had last season are AJ Green and Andre Jackson Jr., two players who have been major sparks.

Bottom line, the Milwaukee Bucks need defensive help, and they need it now. They should call the Atlanta Hawks in an attempt to swap frontcourt pieces.