There wasn't much drama to Bobby Portis' summer. Reports of the veteran big man agreeing to a four-year, $49 million contract with the Milwaukee Bucks emerged almost immediately after the start of free agency on June 30th, hardly a surprise considering his career turnaround since joining Giannis Antetokounmpo and company two years ago.
During an appearance on SiriusXM NBA Radio on Saturday, Portis shed further light on his decision to re-up in Milwaukee. Needless to say, it wasn't a difficult one after the 2015 first-round pick struggled to find an NBA home during his first few years in the league.
“You go through your highs and low, go through your trials and tribulations of trying to find yourself in this league. I found myself here in Milwaukee,” Portis said. “Love it here, the fit on this team around great players, great guys that just want to win. Humble guys, low-maintenance guys. Obviously, it feels great to finally find a home, man. It's tough moving around in the league; it's tough moving all your stuff around, too. So being able to find a home now is great, man. I love it here. I can honestly say Milwaukee changed my life.”
"I love it here…I can honestly say that Milwaukee has changed my life."
Hear Bobby Portis (@BPortistime) tell @RickKamlaSports why it was an easy decision to re-sign with the @Bucks#FearTheDeer pic.twitter.com/w4lWFoNRBU
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) August 13, 2022
Portis averaged career-highs of 14.6 points and 9.1 rebounds last season, opening 59 games alongside Antetokounmpo up front as starting center Brook Lopez recovered from back surgery. He also shot a solid 39.3% from beyond the arc on high volume, taking nearly twice as many triples per game (4.7) as during his debut campaign in Milwaukee.
Portis inked a two-year, $8.9 million deal with the cash-strapped Bucks last summer, terms well below market value for a player who occupied a key role on his team's run to a title. He shocked no one by declining the player option on the second year of his contract in late June, allowing Milwaukee to do right by him this offseason in what certainly looks like a thinly-veiled bit of salary cap manipulation.
The Bucks, to be clear, surely won't be disciplined by the league office if a wink-wink pact about Portis' future long-term payday was actually in place when he put pen to paper a year ago. His new contract is an obvious testament to Milwaukee's belief in him either way, not to mention further indication that Portis really has found his NBA home.
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