Bucks waive Kevin Porter Jr. to meet roster limit

The Milwaukee Bucks had to make a move with roster cut down approaching on Monday, and a move was finally made on Monday afternoon.

It just didn't come in the form that many expected.

Earlier in the day, there were reports that the Bucks were looking to move guard Kevin Porter Jr., with possible interest from the Sacramento Kings after the Kings lost Ben Simmons for the season. But no trade materialized, and the Bucks chose to alleviate their roster crunch by waiving Porter Jr.

The move was first reported by ESPN's Shams Charania.

Porter Jr. spent the last two seasons with the organization. He was acquired from the Los Angeles Clippers in February of 2025, and was productive in his time averaging 14.9 points, 4.6 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game while shooting 47.4% from the field and 35% from the 3-point line. He was considered one of the few bright spots in a difficult 2026-27 season for the organization, even if his statistics did not directly correlate to winning.

But the Bucks began remaking their roster with the trade of franchise pillar Giannis Antetokounmpo to the Miami Heat -- a trade that brought two guards (Tyler Herro and Kasparas Jakucionis) back, and was followed by the drafting of guard Brayden Burries with the No. 10 pick and the re-signing of veteran Gary Trent Jr.

Then Porter struggled during the preseason for Milwaukee. And with an overload of guards, he became the odd man out.

The Bucks are likely to go with Herro and Ryan Rollins as their starters early in the season, but this opens opportunities for others. That includes Burries, who appears ready for a role as a rookie, and also Jakucionis, who worked his way into the back of Erik Spoelstra's rotation. Both guards have good size for the position, and the ability to play on and off the ball.

Porter was entering the last year of his contract, which made the move easier. Milwaukee's salary cap is still saddled with the waive-and-stretch of the long-departed Damian Lillard, as well as bloated contracts that were given to Myles Turner, Kyle Kuzma and Trent. It is still possible that Turner or Kuzma could be dealt during the season, but nothing of note appears to have materialized in the offseason or preseason.

Expect the Bucks to continue to lean into players they deem part of their future as the season progresses. With Porter gone, that's three of the Bucks' top scorers from last season no longer around, including Giannis and Bobby Portis, Jr., who was traded with Giannis to Miami.