The Milwaukee Bucks had until 4 p.m. CT on Oct. 19 to reduce its roster to, at maximum, 15 guaranteed contracts for the 2026-27 season, and to do so they will waive Kevin Porter Jr.
Moving off the 26-year-old guard will create some minutes in a crowded back court for the Bucks as they begin the regular season in Washington D.C. on Oct. 21.
Porter had picked up his $5.3 million option in late June, but afterward the team acquired guards Tyler Herro and Kasparas Jakučionis in a trade with Miami, drafted guard Brayden Burries at No. 10 and re-signed Gary Trent Jr. in free agency.
The Bucks also had guards Ryan Rollins and AJ Green under contract.
HoopsHype, a USA TODAY NETWORK property, confirmed the Bucks' decision to waive Porter.
Head coach Taylor Jenkins spoke to the media about an hour before that deadline after practice concluded.
“It’s another extremely difficult decision,” he said of the impending move. “It’s been a great process so far with [general manager] Jon [Horst]. The moment I got hired we were talking about these things. This isn’t something that’s just crept up the last couple weeks. It’s been evaluating the entire group.
"I think everyone, despite having depth in certain areas of our roster, everyone brings something different to the table and it’s really trying to figure out what are the right pathways for us moving forward.”
The club re-signed Porter to a two-year deal in the 2025 offseason, and he played 38 games last season and dealt with a variety of injuries, which included two surgeries on his right knee. When healthy, he averaged 17.4 points, 7.4 assists and 5.2 rebounds per game last season.
Originally drafted by the Bucks at No. 30 in 2019 and immediately traded to Cleveland, the Bucks reacquired Porter at the 2025 trade deadline in a deal with the Los Angeles Clippers for MarJon Beauchamp. In 68 games in Milwaukee (38 starts), Porter shot 42.8% overall, 36.1% from behind the 3-point line and averaged 14.9 points and 5.8 assists.
“[Porter] is a very talented guy,” Jenkins said. He’s been great the last couple of weeks and just his approach, and I know he’s hungry. He adds a lot to the table. He’s a proven player in the league and excited to see what we ultimately do with this roster moving forward.”
Bucks 2026-27 roster
Guards
- Brayden Burries
- AJ Green
- Tyler Herro
- Kasparas Jakučionis
- Ryan Rollins
- Gary Trent Jr.
Forwards
- Nate Ament
- Ousmane Dieng
- Jaime Jaquez Jr.
- Kyle Kuzma
- Caris LeVert
- Bogoljub Marković
- Jericho Sims
Centers
- Myles Turner
- Kel'el Ware
Two-way contracts
- Cormac Ryan
- Kam Jones
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee Bucks to waive Kevin Porter Jr.