Milwaukee Bucks
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Bucks Trade Candidate: Michael Porter Jr.
Source: https://www.brewhoop.com/bucks-anal...rter-jr-brooklyn-nets-bobby-portis-kyle-kuzma
Up next in the Brew Hoop Bucks trade candidate series is Michael Porter Jr., arguably the best player available on the market—and especially in terms of fit for the Milwaukee Bucks. Porter’s trade candidacy has been well documented, with the The Stein Line’s Jake Fischer and The Athletic’s Sam Amick linking him with the Bucks, and our very own Van Fayaz exploring the rumours from a Bucks’ perspective. Our friends over at Nets Daily have also been deliberating a Porter trade. With all that said, let’s take a closer look at Porter, his fit, and what a potential trade might actually look like.
The Player
Michael Porter Jr., 27, 6’10”, 220 lbs, forward
Season averages: 25.9 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 3.4 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.2 BPG, .490/.397/.833
Traded by the Denver Nuggets—along with an unprotected 2032 first-round pick—to the Brooklyn Nets in the offseason for Cameron Johnson, Michael Porter Jr. is in the midst of a career year, averaging career highs in points, three point makes, assists, and steals. Much of this can be attributed to his changing role from tertiary shooter behind Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray to primary option in Brooklyn. Yet, despite shooting five more shots per night than he ever has, Porter has sustained his efficiency, converting at percentages nearly exactly in line with his career marks of .499/.405/.802. In fact, he’s even improved his finishing at the rim, converting 80% of those looks, placing him in the 95th percentile for wings per Cleaning The Glass. Notably, despite being the primary option for the Nets, Porter’s shot diet is much the same as it was with the Nuggets—mostly from three—but with enough inside the arc to keep the defence honest. More specifically, this year he’s attempting 25% of his shots at the rim, 27% from the mid-range, and 48% of his shots from three. In other words, he’s a three-level scorer.
But no one has ever really doubted Porter’s ability to put the ball in the bucket—there’s a reason his pre-draft comparison was Kevin Durant. There have, however, been questions over his playmaking, earning him nicknames like “Never Swing The Rock,” “Possession Ends Here,” and “The Final Destination,” though Porter doesn’t seem to mind. This year, he’s put some of those questions to bed, averaging a career high 3.4 APG and assisting on 17.8% of his teammates’ baskets (89th percentile for wings)—in the same range as more thought-of wing creators Kawhi Leonard (18.0%), RJ Barrett (17.7%), and Franz Wagner (17.3%). He seldom turns the ball over either, averaging just 2.4 per game this year and 1.3 for his career. This is an important trait for a Bucks team that has struggled with turnovers all season.
There have also been questions of Porter’s defensive acumen and he never has had a defensive rating lower than the 111.9 he posted as a sophomore (this year he’s at 116.0). He does, however, contribute on the glass—another noted area of need for the Bucks—where he’s consistently nabbed over seven boards per game. He’s a particularly good defensive rebounder, ranking in the 99th percentile on the season for wings, and his 18.9% defensive rebound percentage would place him third on the Bucks behind Giannis (22.1%) and Bobby Portis (20.8), and well above Myles Turner (14.1%).
The Trade
While the Nuggets had to include the aforementioned 2032 first-round pick to move Porter for Cam Johnson, largely thanks to his price tag (the Nuggets save nearly $17m per year swapping Porter for Johnson), his improved play this year likely means that it will require assets to acquire Porter this time around, especially if there’s legs to Marc Stein’s recent commentary that “the Nets would rather not trade him now.” While this may seem a bitter pill for the Bucks—they can only trade one first and a first-round pick swap—it’s the type of move that may just shoot them up the standings and into contention, giving Giannis even greater incentive to stay in Milwaukee (not that he’s looking elsewhere!).
Financially, the Bucks would have to include both Kyle Kuzma and Bobby Portis for this to work, and while this would leave them thin in the front court, receiving Day’Ron Sharpe in return would soften that blow (and the sting of an unprotected first), giving the Bucks a much more playable backup than Jericho Sims. Of course, there are several other iterations that could work too (Danny Wolf, Haywood Highsmith etc. in place of Sharpe), but for now let’s go with the Nets’ backup centre, who’d surely surrender all of his playing time to Portis anyway (unless Portis is re-routed elsewhere):
Ultimately, the Nets do this deal to “sell high” on Porter, which in this scenario is the draft compensation, getting what could be a prime pick in 2031 when Giannis will be 36. Moreover, it will also help them lose as many games as possible this year in a bid to out-tank Washington, Indiana, New Orleans, and Sacramento, improving their draft lottery odds. This is particularly important as, outside of the 2026 draft, the Nets don’t own their own first-round pick until 2028. That is, they need to draft a cornerstone guy now and, with a strong draft class, 2026 is the year to do it.
The Fit
Porter is a near ideal fit for the Bucks, especially on the offensive end of the floor where he’d slot in as the number two option, providing elite shot-making and spacing to complement Giannis’ prowess in the paint. He’s especially strong above the break, ranking fourth in the league in threes made per game from this location (3.3 per at 41%), but also excels in the right corner (53%) albeit on low volume—just don’t plant him in the left corner and expect the same results (16%).
Making him even more fitting for the Bucks is his lack of ball dominance, particularly for such a high volume scorer. On average, Porter’s touches last just 2.13 seconds, in the same realm as Gary Trent Jr. (2.09) and far below the Bucks’ primary ball handlers: Kevin Porter Jr. (5.12), Ryan Rollins (4.48), and Giannis (3.95). Per Cleaning the Glass, he’s also been assisted on 89% of his threes (78th percentile) and 75% of all his made shots (58th percentile). So, adding Porter wouldn’t create the possession tension that often comes when acquiring big-time scorers. His acquisition would, however, push AJ Green to the bench, though this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It would also require some considered rotations to cover the front court minutes, but that’s easily enough done, especially if the Bucks do get a big like Sharpe back in return. There’s also the possibility of Green sliding down to the two and moving one of KPJ or Rollins to the bench. Either way, Porter gives the Bucks options to keep shooting and size on the court they simply haven’t had since moving Khris Middleton.
Defensively, while Porter isn’t the wing stopper you’d hope for, his size and rebounding would help a squad that has been hamstrung by those deficiencies (Milwaukee ranks 28th in total rebound percentage). He also has active enough hands, averaging as many deflections per game as Giannis (1.9), and holds opponents to 35% shooting in isolation (which would be third best on the Bucks).
Off the court, Porter presents some PA concerns, mostly stemming from his penchant for podcasting, but these aren’t your Mike Budenholzer Bucks and he’s never done anything to warrant suspension so this really shouldn’t even factor into things. Ultimately, the opportunity to get a player in his prime and on the same timeline as the team—at 27 he’s right in between Giannis (31), Myles Turner (29), KPJ (25), and Rollins (23)—is just too much to pass on, especially when his game is so complementary to theirs. Plus, in this scenario, they’d also be getting Sharpe, who’s already an elite rebounder (career 21.3% rebound percentage), a strong shot-blocker (career 4.1% block percentage), an improved passer, and at just 24 years old, has plenty of room left to develop.
So, what are your thoughts on Porter? Is he the shot-making forward with size that Milwaukee has been after, or should the Bucks hold onto their coveted pick for something better (possibly in the off-season)?
Source: https://www.brewhoop.com/bucks-anal...rter-jr-brooklyn-nets-bobby-portis-kyle-kuzma