Bobby Portis' agent makes blunt admission about 'honest mistake' leading to drug-related suspension: Report

Bobby Portis has been one of the key pieces of the Milwaukee Bucks' roster over the past few seasons, but the team will be without him for nearly the rest of the regular season. Portis was handed a 25-game suspension on Thursday morning for violating the NBA's anti-drug policy, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.

Charania followed up his initial report providing a statement given to ESPN by Mark Bartelstein, Portis' agent, about the situation. According to Bartelstein, the suspension is legitimate, but Portis did not intentionally break any rules.

Bartelstein said, in short, that Bobby Portis accidentally took the wrong pain medication to deal with an elbow injury that has been bothering him since the beginning of the regular season. While explaining the situation, Bartelstein had some harsh words for the NBA and its enforcement of the drug policy.

"Today, in this instance, I am so deeply disappointed that the NBA chooses to interpret its policy so strictly," Bartelstein said about the league's rules. "The policy does not allow for a different result for an honest mistake with pure intentions."

Bartelstein was adamant that Portis is not a player who would knowingly break the league's rules, especially when it comes to abusing drugs. Portis does have a history of taking painkillers that are allowed by the league but has no prior history of misusing drugs throughout his career.

Despite expressing his disappointment in the NBA's ruling, Bartelstein also said that Bobby Portis would not fight his suspension. Instead, the Milwaukee Bucks forward will use his time out to improve on the court as well as spend more time in the local community, where he has been beloved ever since joining the team.

How does Bobby Portis' absence affect the Milwaukee Bucks in the back stretch of the season?

The Milwaukee Bucks have 29 regular season games left on their schedule and will be without Bobby Portis for all but four of them. Losing their sixth man is a major blow to a team fighting for positioning in the Eastern Conference playoff picture. At 29-24, the Bucks are clinging to the fifth seed. However, they are only a game ahead of the sixth-seeded Detroit Pistons.

As contenders around the NBA prepare for the postseason, the Milwaukee Bucks have yet to find their stride. One positive that can be taken from Portis' suspension, though, is that new addition Kyle Kuzma will be given more minutes as he and the rest of the roster figure out how to fit together.

Regardless of how the season goes, the duo of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard makes the Bucks dangerous postseason opponents.