Milwaukee Bucks star Bobby Portis may be the quintessential bench piece that the New York Knicks need.
Bucks’ Bobby Portis is up for the taking
According to Forbes’s Evan Sidery, the Bucks are shopping Portis. Sidery detailed Milwaukee’s financial situation surrounding the 10-year veteran, which could allow New York to make a play for him:
“The Bucks have gauged the trade market on Bobby Portis to find rotational upgrades,” Sidery published on X.
‘With Milwaukee over the second apron, they can’t take back salaries totaling more than Portis’ $12.6 million. Portis is averaging 13.1 points and 7.7 rebounds while shooting 36.7% on threes.”
Portis’ refined game could revitalize the Knicks’ bench scoring
Portis has a polished game. He is adroit at scoring with his back to the basket as well as when facing up. The 29-year-old power forward is also proficient from downtown, as Sidery noted. Portis could impact the Knicks beyond that though.
The Arkansas native brings flare and grit to the court. He can also catch fire offensively as few other second-unit weapons can in the league. Portis could singlehandedly cause a sharp vicissitude in fortune for the lowest-scoring bench in the NBA at 20.4 PPG in New York.
Knicks could try to unload Mitchell Robinson for Portis
Due to the constraints that the Bucks have on their books, the Knicks could offer Mitchell Robinson for Portis. To make the money work, they could ask for one of Milwaukee’s lower-salaried options back in return to cover the roughly $2 million discrepancy that Robinson’s $14.3 million salary for this season creates.
Milwaukee is on the upswing right now, having won the NBA Cup after an abysmal start to the year, but adding a talent like Robinson could entice their front office. As for Portis, while he brings several things to the table that Knicks backup big man Precious Achiuwa does, the latter is a good enough rim protector to run the five alongside the floor-spacing Portis at the four.