Bucks Reportedly Turned Down Trade Offer From Nuggets Before Waiving Kevin Porter Jr.

Before the Milwaukee Bucks moved on from guard Kevin Porter Jr., who had been with the Bucks for two seasons before being waived this past offseason, they had an option ahead of them to try and turn Porter Jr. into a productive trade package. The Bucks waived Porter Jr. after a fairly productive 2025-26 season where he averaged 17.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 7.4 assists per game after new acquisitions over the offseason essentially forced Porter Jr. out of what was suddenly a crowded guard room in Milwaukee, but before that, the Bucks could have capitalized on his value.Per a report from Marc Stein, the Bucks were presented with a trade offer for Porter Jr. from the Denver Nuggets, but the finances involved led the Bucks to walk away.Milwaukee Bucks guard Kevin Porter Jr. (7) drives on Charlotte Hornets guard Michael Ajayi (10) during the fourth quarter at Spectrum Center. Scott Kinser-Imagn Images“The Stein Line has learned that the Nuggets showed a willingness to package two future second-rounders and a second-round pick swap along with Zeke Nnaji's very available contract in a bid to bring Kevin Porter Jr. to the Rocky Mountains," Stein wrote. "Yet I'm told that the Bucks ultimately walked away... because they could not stomach the idea of swallowing Nnaji's $7.5 million salary for the 2027-28 season.”Avoiding Expensive ContractsNnaji does have a very expensive contract considering how little production he has to show for it. Nnaji played 52 games last season in Denver, starting four, where he averaged just 3.7 points and 2.6 rebounds per game. Milwaukee Bucks guard Kevin Porter Jr. (7) shoots against the Charlotte Hornets during the fourth quarter at Spectrum Center. Scott Kinser-Imagn ImagesPairing those numbers with the salary attached to him has made him an expensive issue for the Nuggets to deal with and an issue that the Bucks apparently wanted no part of.Prioritizing financial flexibility over simply filling roster space with Nnaji, who would have just as small of a role in Milwaukee playing behind big men like Myles Turner and Kel'el Ware that he's so far had in Denver, is a thrifty move on Milwaukee's part as the team tries to build for the future. Milwaukee Bucks guard/forward Kevin Porter Jr. (7) shoots against Cleveland Cavaliers guard James Harden (1) in the second half at Fiserv Forum. Michael McLoone-Imagn ImagesIt still begs the question of why Porter Jr. didn't warrant more attention on the trade market if the Bucks didn't have any future plans for him, but the package that Denver presented would have been a step back for what the Bucks are trying to build. A New Philosophy in MilwaukeeMaintaining flexibility is the right move for the Bucks to make for the foreseeable future as they try to further accumulate assets to future support the team's rebuild, and a crucial part of that process is for the Bucks to be discerning in the way that they accumulate those assets. Milwaukee Bucks guard Kevin Porter Jr. (7) drives on Atlanta Hawks forward Onyeka Okongwu (17) in the second quarter at State Farm Arena. Brett Davis-Imagn ImagesThe package they could have received from the Nuggets clearly wasn't the way they wanted to move forward with Porter Jr. and considering that they already have players like forward Kyle Kuzma who is a large contract without producing much value for the team.Nnaji would have been a repeat of that kind of move for the Bucks, a methodology that the team is decidedly trying to move away from.