Milwaukee Bucks Trade Rumors: NBA insider hints at Sixth Man of the Year candidate Bobby Portis as potential trade asset

Amid their search for defensive upgrades, the Milwaukee Bucks may be willing to part with standout sixth man Bobby Portis before Thursday’s NBA trade deadline.

Portis has been one of Milwaukee’s top bench players since 2020, including during the franchise’s 2021 NBA title run. The soon-to-be 29-year-old has consistently offered the Bucks scoring and energy behind starting center Brook Lopez.

As a result, he is among the candidates for this year’s Sixth Man of the Year award, after finishing third in last year’s voting.

However, with the nine-year veteran being more of an offensive-minded player, it seems that Milwaukee could be open to trading him for a wing defender. Per NBA insider Marc Stein, the team has registered interest in Dallas Mavericks forward Grant Williams.

“The Bucks and Mavericks, league sources say, have held exploratory discussions on a trade that would swap Milwaukee’s Bobby Portis Jr. and Dallas newcomer Grant Williams,” Stein wrote in his latest Substack newsletter.

“It is not yet known if the talks will progress to something more serious. Williams’ first season in Dallas has been undeniably disappointing, but his ability to guard a wide variety of players is said to intrigue Milwaukee, which is known to be searching for defensive upgrades.”

Williams joined Dallas on a four-year, $53.3 million contract in the offseason after spending his first four seasons with the Boston Celtics. As Stein noted, the 25-year-old is having a disappointing first season with the Mavericks.

Despite his slight increase in playing time, Williams’ production has remained relatively the same as last season. However, his efficiency has dropped across the board.

Through 45 games, Williams is averaging 8.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.5 steals, 0.6 blocks and 1.7 3-pointers per game on 41.0% shooting.

Portis, on the other hand, is averaging 12.6 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 1.0 apg, 0.7 spg, 0.4 bpg and 1.1 3pg on 50.0% shooting through 50 games.

---

---

Should the Bucks trade Bobby Portis for Grant Williams?

It has been well-documented that the Bucks (33-17) could sorely use defensive upgrades, as they rank just 19th in defensive rating (116.4).

However, Bobby Portis is a valuable sixth man who is in the second year of a relatively reasonable four-year, $48.6 million contract. So, the team could probably get more for him than Grant Williams.

While Williams would offer Milwaukee defense and spacing, most would agree that he isn’t on the same level as Portis. Thus, for a team with championship aspirations, downgrading its talent for what would likely be a slight defensive upgrade probably wouldn’t make much sense.

---