NBA trade proposal sends Nets’ Michael Porter Jr to Bucks

This is the kind of NBA trade idea mixes desperation with logic.

ESPN’s Kevin Pelton floated a hypothetical that would send Michael Porter Jr. from the Nets to the Milwaukee Bucks, and on paper, you can see why it’s tempting.

Bucks receive:

• Michael Porter Jr.

Nets receive:

• Kyle Kuzma
• Taurean Prince
• 2031 first-round pick (via Bucks)

Pistons receive:

• Cole Anthony
• Cash considerations

Start with Milwaukee. The Bucks are 16-21, sitting outside the play-in picture, and running out of time to convince anyone that this version of the roster works. When Giannis Antetokounmpo sits, the offense stalls. When he plays, it’s still often a grind.

Porter would help immediately. He’s a real wing scorer, a high-level shooter, and someone who can create offense without needing Antetokounmpo to draw two defenders first.

Pelton compared the role to what Khris Middleton once provided, and that’s the right reference point. The Bucks don’t need another name. They need someone who can score when things bog down.

Porter is doing that in Brooklyn. He’s averaging 26.1 points while shooting nearly 50 percent from the floor and over 41 percent from three. That’s real production. He’s also making $38.3 million this season and $40.8 million next year, which matters.

Milwaukee can absorb the money. That’s not the issue. The issue is the cost. This would require the Bucks to part with their last tradable first-round pick. That’s a big step for a team already short on assets.

For Brooklyn, the appeal is obvious. Kuzma gives them flexibility. Prince is expiring. The pick is the real prize. If the Nets are pivoting again, this is how you do it.

Detroit is there to make the math work and pick up a guard and some cash. Standard stuff.

Would this make Milwaukee a title contender? Probably not. But at this point, the Bucks aren’t choosing between good and great. They’re choosing between standing still and trying something.

And when you’re 11th in the East with Giannis in his prime, standing still isn’t really an option anymore.