3 Milwaukee Bucks likeliest to be traded after Gary Trent Jr. signing
By Dalton Sell
While the Milwaukee Bucks have filled out their roster, there's at least a shot they aren't done making moves just yet.
It's been a quiet offseason across the NBA in terms of trades, but the Bucks could very well break that trend if the right deal arises. General manager Jon Horst and the rest of this Bucks front office tend to do their due diligence on the main names floating around in the rumor mill year after year, and there's no reason to believe they aren't doing that currently.
The addition of free agent shooting guard Gary Trent Jr. does make several current Bucks players more expendable in trade talks, giving Horst more to work with. That said, let us highlight a handful of Bucks who are the likeliest to be dealt after recent events.
Bobby Portis
Based on contract and performance, Bobby Portis might be the most desirable asset Milwaukee has to offer. It's been that way over the past few seasons, but the Bucks have opted to keep him again and again. The closest it felt to them budging and actually moving Portis was at the NBA Trade Deadline this past season, and perhaps they could get back to that point this offseason.
Portis has consistently put himself in the Sixth Man of the Year conversation, cementing his place as one of the best reserves in the NBA. With the Bucks, he's averaged 13.5 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists while shooting 40.3 percent from three. He has his defensive limitations, but there's no doubt that he can be a sparkplug off the bench offensively and on the glass. Teams would love to have that.
With a $12.6 million salary for next season, he's also on a reasonable deal that plenty of teams would be willing to take on. Yet, due to the second apron rules, the Bucks would have to find someone who makes the same or less, and there aren't many names that fit the billing available. That restraint is one reason why Portis could stick around in Milwaukee.
Finding a trade that helps the Bucks upgrade while moving Portis might be difficult due to the team's second apron limitations. Still, there's no doubt that he's on the trade block, even if Jon Horst is just testing the market to see what Portis might get them.