Giannis Antetokounmpo will be out at least 4-6 weeks, which puts a damper on any trade deadline plans the Bucks had to try and improve around him. It’s looking like a lost season for Milwaukee, which could make Bobby Portis Jr. available.
Teams around the league are dreaming of the Giannis trade, but the truth is that it’s not likely to happen until the offseason, if it happens at all. The Bucks have made it clear that they don’t want to trade the Greek Freak, but they will have huge challenges trying to add pieces around him, as they have few trade assets and no future cap flexibility.
The Pistons are on the other end as a first-place team that doesn’t feel it needs to make a big move to compete, even though they do have the assets and financial flexibility to make a big move.
Reports have centered around the Pistons using their trade exception to add a rotation player, and if that is the route they are going to take, Bobby Portis Jr. should be a consideration.
Bobby Portis Jr. would fit right in on the Detroit Pistons
The Pistons would clearly like to add a shooter, but not at the expense of their team chemistry, young core or the defensive culture they have built, which isn’t going to be easy. Portis Jr. would potentially check a lot of those boxes.
He’s shooting an outstanding 46.5 percent from 3-point range on over four attempts per game, while adding his standard solid rebounding and defense.
Portis Jr. is a dawg who doesn’t mind mixing it up, so he'd fit right in, and would provide the Pistons with something they do not currently have, which is a big man who is a plus three-point shooter.
Tobias Harris provides that 3-point shooting at times, but not consistently enough, especially from the corner three, where he hits just 37 percent compared to an incredible 54.5 percent from Portis Jr.
Portis Jr. would be a fit that wouldn’t disrupt the mojo the Pistons have going but there are two questions that have to be answered first: Does Milwaukee have any interest in trading him and what would it cost Detroit?
Portis Jr. is on a team-friendly contract that would fit into the Pistons TPE and goes for two more seasons after this one with the final year a player option, but the price stays relatively flat, so the Pistons would have another Beef Stew-like contract on the books.
The Pistons could theoretically land Portis Jr. without sending any money back, in which case the Bucks would likely want draft assets, which the Pistons have.
But BPJ is 30 years old, and Trajan Langdon has been reluctant to take on veterans who have multiple years left on their deal. If he didn’t significantly impact the team, the Pistons would be stuck with him and lose some of their financial flexibility even though they don’t need cap space to acquire him.
Depending on the cost, Portis Jr. is an option worth exploring if the Pistons want max impact for their TPE.