With free agency previews published on [Brook Lopez](https://www.brewhoop.com/2025/6/2/24439654/nba-free-agency-milwaukee-bucks-brook-lopez) and [Taurean Prince](https://www.brewhoop.com/2025/6/4/24441982/nba-free-agency-milwaukee-bucks-taurean-prince), it is time to look at Kevin Porter Jr. By and large, Porter performed well for Milwaukee in the regular season and filled a playmaking void that desperately needed filling, causing confusion among fans at why he was available for such a low price. Perhaps his playoffs showed why the Clippers were willing to cut bait. Regardless, let’s discuss how KPJ’s (potential) free agency could pan out and which other teams might be interested in the 25-year-old guard.
**Kevin Porter Jr, 6’4” guard, 25 years old**
Porter came to the Bucks in the middle of last season via trade with the LA Clippers, who acquired MarJon Beauchamp in the transaction. Whatever you think of Kevin’s off-court foibles—and fans are completely justified in feeling however they want about them—this trade was highway robbery from an on-court point of view. Porter came in and contributed immediately to Milwaukee, which may say more about the Bucks’ team construction than Kevin’s basketball abilities; nonetheless, he played an essential role and won them games off his own back. At the same time, the opportunity cost of Milwaukee losing Beauchamp was very low, with LA waiving the third-year wing shortly after acquiring him.
Crucially, Porter’s importance to the team became outsized due to Khris Middleton’s departure in a separate transaction with the Washington Wizards, which brought back Kyle Kuzma. Suddenly, the team found itself with a total of three primary playmakers: Giannis, Dame, and Kevin. Initially, Doc settled into a rotation in which he paired most of Lillard and Antetokounmpo’s minutes while handing the reins of the second unit over to KPJ as the primary initiator. To the surprise of many, it worked as well as could be realistically expected. A mish-mash lineup of Porter, a rolling big, and three shooters to begin the second and fourth quarters often kept the team afloat until the big guns came back in. The former USC guard finished the regular season with averages (on the Bucks) of 11.7 points, 3.7 assists, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.7 turnovers on .494/.408/.871 shooting splits.
Having said all of this, there was a reason Kevin was available for the measly price they paid (sorry, MarJon). Off-court stuff aside, Porter is by no means a perfect basketball player. Is he a fine 82-game player who generally gives you decent minutes off the bench? Yes. But heavens to Betsy, his performance in the first round against the Pacers was bad, man. Kevin’s stats across the five-game series—which are nothing special while also not appearing horrendous on paper—don’t tell the story of how bad he was. For example, Porter had nine turnovers across the five games, but every flailing attack at the rim (which would all but guarantee a layup down the other end) might as well have been classed as a turnover.
Role
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With Dame injured and limited ability to make significant changes to the roster, the chances of Kevin being the starting point guard on opening night, were he to re-sign, would be… (gulp) greater than 50%? You know that thing I said before about the Bucks only having three primary creators last season? Yeah, that could become two. So Porter’s role could certainly be expanding next season. Because that proposition scares the heck out of me, I will choose to look on the bright side first.
Kevin’s assist/turnover ratio of over 2:1 in the regular season _was_ pretty impressive in just 19 minutes per game. For all his flaws, the guy does have a knack for creation. He and Giannis developed a nice pick-and-roll chemistry in the extended period Dame was out, connecting on quite a few alley-oops. Additionally, Porter has the rare ability to read rotations before they happen and set up corner shooters. His athleticism also provided something the Bucks lacked (and had lacked for years); somebody who can create real rim pressure fits nicely into a team mainly consisting of ground-bound shooters. Finally, Kevin is naturally able to provide more on defence than Dame can, which is a nice consolation.
Regarding the negatives with Porter, there is the central question of his fit with Giannis. Doc was hesitant to pair those two early because of Kevin’s spot-up shooting concerns. However, it did get to a point where Rivers was effectively _forced_ to extend Porter’s minutes due to how well he was playing. And Kevin did end up at 40% from three in the regular season; granted, that was on relatively low volume. How does all this look in a scaled-up role? Well, there will be times when things look great, and undoubtedly there will be moments that make fans want to throw a brick through their TV. A complete training camp with Doc going through precisely what is needed out of Porter could help to iron out some of those creases.
Potential Suitors
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Kevin is an interesting case on this front because he can certainly help established teams, but he’s also young enough to fit into the long-term plans of developing teams. The leading spot I go to is the Nets, who have max cap space and are unlikely to lure a big fish because of their low probability of contending in the near future. Therefore, they can use their space to 1) absorb bad contracts in exchange for draft capital, and 2) outbid teams like the Bucks for young players who fit on their timeline for when they _do_ want to compete. For example, I could see Brooklyn dropping an offer sheet on Philadelphia’s Quentin Grimes, a restricted free agent. Porter, although not restricted, could fall into that next tier down of guys who fit this bill as far as player profile goes.
The other team where you could apply some of what I discussed above is the Pistons, who potentially could have up to $25m in space with Tim Hardaway Jr. and Dennis Schröder coming off the books. Maybe Detroit uses some of that space on Kevin. Granted, they have Cade Cunningham, Ausar Thompson, Jaden Ivey, Ron Holland, and Marcus Sasser already signed in the guard department, and that’s not even considering them bringing back Beasley, Schröder, and Hardaway. Therefore, I feel less worried about the Pistons poaching Porter than the Nets.
Regarding teams that likely _won’t_ have cap space but _will_ have the mid-level and perhaps bi-annual exceptions (like the Bucks), I could see a team like the Grizzlies looking into Porter. The Grizzlies are somewhat low on backup creators. Scotty Pippen Jr. is the only player on their team who really fits this mould. Guys like John Konchar and Vince Williams Jr. are helpful, but play more complementary roles. Additionally, Luke Kennard is a free agent. Memphis might bank on their culture being able to keep a guy like KPJ on the straight and narrow while reaping the rewards of his on-court talent.
Potential Contract
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Obviously, we touched on the cap space route for teams like the Nets and Pistons, who can eclipse other offers if they want. In terms of options Porter has at _his_ disposal, he could simply pick up his player option next season, which is just over his veteran minimum salary. If he declines it, the Bucks can only offer a 120% raise on his near-minimum salary because they have Non-Bird rights. Otherwise, they would need to use part/all of their bi-annual (up to two years, projected starting salary of up to $5.1m) or midlevel (up to 4 years and a $14.1m starting salary) exception. The Grizzlies can also offer those same MLE and BAE contracts.
For the reasons outlined in the segments above, it’s difficult to predict how Kevin’s (potential) free agency could play out. There aren’t many teams with cap space, and how many organisations (who don’t _need_ KPJ the way Milwaukee might) would be willing to use their exceptions on a player who has proven to be volatile both on and off the court? Therefore, if the Bucks don’t use an exception on him (which they very well might), I could see him picking up his player option or taking the small raise from Milwaukee on a one-year deal, establishing himself for another year while getting to be a starting point guard, and exploring the market _next_ offseason. It is also worth noting that he valued playing on a winning team last season, something he said he had never done before arriving in Milwaukee. Maybe he views the money as less critical at this stage in his career.
Please give us your thoughts on Kevin in the comments. Was his regular season good enough to outweigh his playoff struggles in your mind? Are you willing to invest long-term in him?