Report: Other teams expect Bobby Portis to re-sign with Bucks

Bobby Portis is widely expected to opt out of his $4.6 million for next season, knowing a bigger payday awaits him on the open market.

Well, not so open market. Other teams do not think they can lure him out of Milwaukee, reports Marc Stein in his latest Substack newsletter.

Milwaukee’s Bobby Portis can become a free agent this offseason if he bypasses a $4.6 million player option for 2022-23, but there is already tangible resignation from some interested teams that they won’t have any shot at luring Portis away from the Bucks. The expectation already in circulation is that Portis will re-sign with Milwaukee on a multi-year deal even if he does opt for free agency.

Portis, a fan favorite who averaged 14.6 points and 9.1 rebounds a game last season, has become a crucial part of what the Bucks do. When Lopez was out most of last season, Portis started and filled the role, spacing the floor with his shooting and providing some rim protection. He returned to his bench role in the playoffs and thrived in it.

Last year he signed a two-year, $9 million contract with the Bucks that let him opt out this summer. While a number of teams looking for a center — Charlotte and Toronto, among others — might have interest in Portis, as long as the Bucks don’t lowball him, it looks like Portis will stay with the contender in Milwaukee. Expect Portis to get a longer-term contract this summer than he signed a year ago.