An article published by Brian Windhorst, on espn.com, states that the Milwaukee Bucks have made Bobby Portis and Khris Middleton available for trade. As the trade deadline has approached rumors have sparked across the NBA, and the Milwaukee Bucks have been one of the centerpieces of conversation. Early season struggles indicated that Milwaukee needed to buy at the deadline, but no one could figure out how they could make a move. Making Khris Middleton and Bobby Portis available for trade was the majority of people’s expectations for how they can make a move, so this comes as no surprise to me.

Former sixth man of the year runner-up Bobby Portis has been involved in trade rumors for the past couple of seasons now, and that emotional attachment I grew after chanting “Bobby! Bobby! Bobby!” as he helped win Milwaukee a championship is gone. I don’t see a reason to keep him as he doesn’t add much and only takes the ball away from our stars with poor shot decisions and sloppy post work. As much as I want him off the team, I don’t want to discredit what he’s done for the city, and I also don’t want the team to sell him short. On the season so far, Portis has great counting stats and is averaging 13.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 2.0 assists on 46.6%, which for the role he plays is amazing. He’s proven since coming to Milwaukee that he could be a great bench piece for a contender and maybe that allows the Bucks to acquire a solid pick for him.

The time has come for Khris Middleton. In the playoffs last year, he proved he’s still got it, and maybe there’s a team out there willing to take a chance on him. In Middleton’s 18 games this season, he’s averaging 12.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 5.1 assists while shooting 48% from the field. Those are impressive numbers on the 23.5 minutes per game he’s been getting. Middleton is still recovering from his offseason surgeries on both ankles and is owed a lot of money, which diminishes his value. No other way to put it. So, for me personally, take what you can get for Khris and cut ties. The fans will always love him in Milwaukee, he’s been a huge part of the success we’ve witnessed in the last decade, no one appreciates him more than us, but business is business.

As it stands, Milwaukee currently sits in the second apron, which is a financial threshold created by the league to prevent teams from overspending. One of the many restrictions placed on teams who fall under the second apron is that they must trade away as much money as they’re bringing in. Which makes this whole situation difficult for Milwaukee. Rumors are that the Bucks are interested in acquiring Bradley Beal from the Phoenix Suns. In an article done by Sam Quinn at CBS Sports, Quinn writes about how this trade is possible. The interest by Milwaukee creates the potential for a massive trade to go down, as the Suns and Miami Heat have been in trade talks regarding Jimmy Butler, who also is owed a lot of money. Milwaukee out of the many teams named is in the most financial trouble, as they have lots of money attached to their two biggest stars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, which will be nearly impossible to get out of. To get a deal done with all teams leaving satisfied, Milwaukee must find a fourth suitor to take on contracts like Pat Connaughton and MarJon Beauchamp, only hurting our depth more.

With how the franchise stands right now, the future doesn’t look bright, and if the front office continues to dig the franchise into a deeper hole through desperation to win another championship, the post-Damian Lillard era will not be good. Even if Giannis Antetokounmpo is still on the roster. It’s already hard enough to build a bench which is one of the biggest problems the team has, why would they trade a third of their roster for Bradley Beal. A single player who hasn’t shown anything promising this season. It doesn’t make sense to me. Beal has clearly regressed, and it’s been proven that he needs the ball in his hands to succeed. The Bucks have plenty of that already, it’s not beneficial to go and get more. If you’re going to trade Middleton and Portis, get assets, go and brighten the future. Give us a chance to contend in the later days of Antetokounmpo’s career instead of bolstering what you have now. The acquisition of Bradley Beal doesn’t make the team better than the Celtics, Cavaliers, Knicks, or Thunder, which ultimately is the goal.

Check out my newest Polls & Quizzes page, a poll is posted with options on what you think the Milwaukee Bucks should do about this situation.