Our Milwaukee Bucks free agent forecasting continues with our next piece, taking a look at Bobby Portis, the other center in Milwaukee’s rotation who could be leaving. If you haven’t read our other pieces about Kevin Porter Jr., Brook Lopez, and Taurean Prince, I encourage you to read those as well.
Bobby Portis, 6’11” Center, 30 years old
Bobby has become an icon among the Bucks fandom since arriving in Milwaukee in November 2020. After languishing with the Chicago Bulls, the Washington Wizards, and in a year with the New York Knicks, Portis has developed into one of the league’s best bench players. In his five seasons with the Bucks, Bobby has finished in the top 10 in Sixth Man of the Year voting three times, including two top-three finishes in the 2022–23 and 2023–24 seasons.
It was a turbulent season for Portis, both on and off the court, all year long. The year started with his home being robbed in early November, and then his grandmother passed away in January. Then, to top it all off, just a month after that, he was suspended for 25 of the Bucks’ final 29 games for violating the league’s drug policy. It ended up being an honest mistake as well, with one of his assistants mistaking a banned painkiller called Tramadol for a league-approved one called Toradol. Despite those trials and tribulations, Portis likely would have been in contention again for 6MOY honors, with him averaging a hair under 14 points per game, 8.4 RPG, 2.1 APG, and a shooting line of .466/.365/.836. Due to the suspension, he was limited to 49 games, 16 shy of the league-required 65 games to be eligible for most awards.
Yet, even with those highs, there are also some big lows with Portis. While people laud his scoring ability and his tenacity on the court, he also tends to get tunnel vision on offense. He can also turn into a professional volleyball player when it comes to offensive rebounds, tapping balls out to the perimeter instead of securing them with two hands.
If you’ve followed my time here with the site long enough, you know I’ve written several pieces detailing my motivations for why the Bucks should move on from Portis, and heading into the playoffs, I was still of that mindset. Yet from what I saw from him, especially in Games 2 (28 points and 12 rebounds) and 5, when he was inserted into the starting lineup for the aging Brook Lopez, it started making me think differently. While he put up close to his normal season averages of 14.0 PPG, 8.2 RPG, shooting 44.1% from the field and 35.7% from three-point range, he looked like the better fit next to Giannis. 2021 was probably his best playoff run to date, but 2025 (despite the Bucks losing in five games) was one of his better series over the last three first-round exits.
Role
If Portis is back in hunter green for at least another season, there could be two very different ways his role could pan out. If the Bucks opt to bring back fellow big man Brook Lopez, then I imagine that he will get an uptick in minutes but will still be the Bucks’ sixth man. That is a role he is very comfortable with—his role for most of the last five years. He’s exceptional in that role, as over that time, Portis is fifth in the league in bench scoring with 2,969 points (Jordan Clarkson is the league leader in that same time frame with 3,637).
Now, if Lopez were to depart for a team like the Golden State Warriors or return to his old stomping grounds in the Los Angeles Lakers, Portis’ role would change mightily. Unless the Bucks brought in another starting caliber (stealing Boston Celtics’ center Kristaps Porzingis?), I would imagine that Portis would become the Bucks' full-time starting center. Giannis has made it known he doesn’t want to play center full-time, and I doubt the Bucks will hand the keys over to a raw Jericho Sims, which would create somewhat of an awkward fit next to Giannis.
There were quite a few positives to take away from Portis’ increased role during the playoffs. His floor spacing caused some issues for the Pacers defensively when next to Giannis and other shooters like AJ Green, Gary Trent Jr., and Porter. He also seemed to be serviceable enough on the defensive end, being able to switch out onto the perimeter, being quicker-footed than the aging Lopez.
Potential Suitors
As mentioned by my cohorts before, Brooklyn and Detroit are two teams that will have cap space available to use and could match a potential contract offer from Milwaukee, perhaps offering more than what I and maybe even GM Jon Horst are comfortable with. I would take the Pistons off the board right away, considering they already have their center rotation locked down with Jalen Duren, who will become a restricted free agent in the 2026 offseason, and Isaiah Stewart, who is under contract through the 2026–27 season.
The Nets are a different story, as they are projected to only have one center under contract this upcoming season, with Nicolas Claxton heading into the second season of a four-year extension. Former first-rounder Day’Ron Sharpe is projected to be a restricted free agent this offseason, and it’s safe to say he hasn’t been what the Nets have been hoping for. Now, all indications seem that Brooklyn could make a run at Minnesota Timberwolves big man Naz Reid, especially if they end up trading Claxton to another size-needy team like the Lakers or Warriors (more likely the Lakers). Let’s say that falls apart and Reid heads elsewhere or stays with the T-Wolves—Portis would be a great secondary option and would allow them to keep Claxton.
At the end of the day, the Nets are the only team in free agency that I could see giving the Bucks a run for their money to sign Bobby. Every other team only has their mid-level exception available, which sits at $14.1 million this off-season, just a million over his current player option. Now, if there was a team that wanted to be part of a sign-and-trade, that’s something worth exploring.
Golden State could use some offensive firepower from a big, and maybe they would make a trade with Milwaukee if Portis takes his player option. After the trade, the Warriors would inherit his Bird rights, meaning they could retain him once he hits unrestricted free agency in 2026, or could give him an extension. A potential return for the Bucks could depend on restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga, who could be looking for a larger role, as reported by Anthony Slater of The Athletic:
Kuminga, league sources said, still has visions of becoming an All-Star, not fitting into an ever-moving mid-tier rotation role. He wants to be a featured player in an NBA offense and chase the 20-point-and-beyond dreams he’s spent his life chasing and the last week of his fourth season tasting.
I doubt a one-for-one deal would be all the Warriors would accept for the 22-year-old former first-round pick, but there could be other pieces for the Bucks to throw in. Kuminga could become the new starting small forward next to Giannis at the four, and allow the Bucks to ship off Kyle Kuzma to find a replaceable center.
Potential Contract
There are a few ways Bobby’s free agency could play out. He, of course, could take his $13.4m player option and become an unrestricted free agent next offseason. He could also still opt in and then sign a long-term extension past this season. His last option is that he could opt out of his contract entirely and head to free agency starting on June 30.
Milwaukee has Bird rights on Portis, so they can offer him more money than almost every other team in the league. The only other team able to offer him anything close is likely Brooklyn, which could have somewhere in the realm of $45–$55m in cap space this summer. That depends on who they decide to bring back on team options and whether they re-sign any of their upcoming restricted free agents (Cam Thomas at the top of that list).
Under either of the latter two scenarios—he opts in and the Bucks give him an extension, or he opts out and the Bucks re-sign him—I think Portis is due for a raise from his previous contract. Among the big men potentially on the market, Myles Turner and Naz Reid will be the biggest fish that will get the biggest contracts. I expect Turner to reach the $27–$30m per year range while Reid could get somewhere between $24–$27m per year, based on the fact that he will just be entering his prime at age 26. Then the drop off is quite steep, to where I would expect Bobby to get something to the effect of a three-year deal worth between $54–$60m ($18–$20m per year range). I think a raise of $4.5–$6.5m isn’t out of the question, and it’s a deal that Horst can get behind, while still playing around with adding other pieces to the puzzle.
What kind of contract would you re-sign Bobby to if he decides to opt out, or would you let him walk? Despite some of his shortcomings, do you believe Bobby is in line for a raise? Let us know in the comments.