While the Milwaukee Bucks’ core of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jrue Holiday, and Khris Middleton isn’t going anywhere any time soon, the 2022 offseason has the potential to see some of their top role players seek greener pastures. Perhaps atop that list is Bobby Portis, who entered the summer with a decision to make on his contract’s player option worth about $4.6 million.
Ultimately, Portis declined his player option, which comes as little surprise as the Bucks can now sign him to a long-term contract worth just north of $10 million annually with early Bird rights.
Milwaukee Bucks F Bobby Portis has informed the team that he’ll decline his $4.6M option and become a free agent, his agent Mark Bartelstein of @PrioritySports tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 29, 2022
Portis joined the Bucks as a free agent during the 2020 offseason and immediately turned into a fan favorite due to his hard-nosed style of play and penchant for hitting shots in big moments. While he largely came off the bench, the veteran frontcourt player who has affectionately been nicknamed the Mayor of Milwaukee played a major role in the Bucks’ run to a championship during the 2021 postseason, which included a 16-point performance in the team’s Game 6 win over the Phoenix Suns to secure a title.
Since joining the Bucks, Portis has averaged 13.1 points and 8.1 rebounds in 24.6 minutes per game while connecting on 41.8 percent of his attempts from three. While he’s now technically an unrestricted free agent, Jake Fischer reported on Wednesday that the expectation is for Portis to stay with Milwaukee on a 4-year deal worth just over $40 million.