Kings Swap Talented Rookie for Bucks Big Man in Mock Trade

The Sacramento Kings could look to acquire Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis.

Feb 12, 2024; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis (9) reacts in the third quarter against the Denver Nuggets at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images / Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

The Sacramento Kings traded Jalen McDaniels to the San Antonio Spurs, creating an empty roster spot and freeing up about $4.7 million in cap space.

According to FOX40’s Sean Cunningham, this move appears to be part of a bigger move yet to come. 

Sources confirm that the Kings are moving Jalen McDaniels to the San Antonio Spurs, along with a second-round pick.
The move opens up a roster spot and is a move that has been in the works & part one of something to come.

— Sean Cunningham (@SeanCunningham) October 14, 2024

For one final time this offseason, I am letting myself daydream about Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis on this Kings roster.

The Kings still have the ability to use their Mid-Level Exception (MLE), and one of the new ways they can use it with the new CBA is via trade. That new rule makes bringing in a player of Bobby Portis’ contract status more feasible than in the past.

Portis is set to make around $12.5 million this season with a player option of $13.4 million for next year. That $12.5 million fits like a glove in the Kings' $12.8 million MLE.

The Kings could send Devin Carter, the 13th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, to make the money work and draft picks as needed to make the deal worth it for the Bucks.

It would be a huge gamble as Sacramento would lose a young promising player in Carter and lose flexibility around the luxury cap, but Portis is the exact type of player the Kings have been searching for for years.

He works hard, defends well, rebounds, and does all the small things to impact winning. Much like Keon Ellis, it’s the perfect archetype of a player to add to the Kings stars.

It’s unlikely and I would be shocked if it actually happened, but for one last time this offseason, I’m allowing myself to dream big. If the Kings were to make a move for Portis, it would be the perfect win-now move to shake the franchise.

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