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Bobby Portis, Bucks Agree to New 4-Year, $49M Contract in NBA Free Agency

Tim Daniels@@TimDanielsBRFeatured Columnist IVJune 30, 2022

Milwaukee Bucks' Bobby Portis during the first half of Game 4 of an NBA basketball Eastern Conference semifinals playoff series Monday, May 9, 2022, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
AP Photo/Morry Gash

Bobby Portis will return to the Milwaukee Bucks on a four-year, $49 million contract, his agent Mark Bartelstein told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski on Thursday.

Portis declined the $4.6 million player option in his contract with the Milwaukee Bucks to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason.

He averaged a career-high 14.6 points along with 9.1 rebounds, 1.8 threes and 1.2 assists across 72 appearances for the Bucks during the 2021-22 season. It came after he played a key reserve role during the team's run to the 2021 NBA title.

In May, Portis explained he hoped to remain in Milwaukee but would ultimately leave figuring out the details to Bartelstein.

"That's on the organization and my agent to figure that out," he told reporters. "I don't really discuss numbers or contracts or none of that. I love it here. I love being a Buck, but it definitely comes down to them making it work."

The 27-year-old University of Arkansas product started his NBA career as a first-round pick of the Chicago Bulls in the 2015 draft.

He spent his first three-plus seasons with the Bulls and then embarked on short stints with the Washington Wizards and New York Knicks before landing in Milwaukee.

In all, Portis has averaged 11.1 points and 6.6 rebounds while shooting 47 percent from the field, including 38.3 percent on threes, in 453 career games.

The Bucks were forced to consider how much roster turnover they needed after falling short of their title defense with a second-round exit at the hands of the Boston Celtics. Bringing back the 6'10'' forward eliminates one potential void.

Portis should once again handle a starting role, barring other roster changes, and serve as an important secondary contributors behind the trio of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday.