Offense wasn't a problem for the Chicago Bulls last season, but with a summer full of rumored movement, they may need a little extra juice in 2025-26. Kevin Porter Jr. would provide that in droves.
Porter Jr. has a $2.5 million player option that he's expected to decline, per Jake Fischer of The Stein Line Substack, and for good reason.
In what was one of the least-heralded but most impactful deals of last season's trade deadline, the Milwaukee Bucks acquired the 25-year-old in exchange for little-used MarJon Beauchamp. Porter Jr. had shown flashes of being a prolific scorer during the first few years of his career, but off-court incidents eventually pushed him out of the league.
Last season was his first back in the NBA, and he made it count after discovering a fresh new role in Milwaukee. He could play a similar role for Chicago, and if he repeats that production, it could be one of the shrewdest value moves of this offseason.
Kevin Porter Jr. could bring a playmaking punch to the Bulls' bench
In his 21- and 22-year-old seasons with the Houston Rockets, Porter Jr. started a combined 120 games, playing 32.8 minutes per contest. Over that span, he averaged 17.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 1.3 steals. He was charged with domestic assault early the next year, was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder and subsequently waived before spending time playing in Greece.
He returned to the NBA last season on a one-year prove-it deal with the Clippers. In LA, Porter Jr. started twice in 45 games and averaged 9.3 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists but was wildly inefficient with shooting splits of 42/25/65.
The trade to the Bucks, which came with a new role and more creative freedom, brought back the player who signed a four-year, $82.5 million contract extension with the Rockets.
Milwaukee needed a creative spark off its bench and turned to Porter, who averaged 21.2 points, 7.1 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 2.3 steals per-36 minutes across 30 games. His efficiency skyrocketed with splits of 49/41/87. He had a better than 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio.
His role expanded even further with Damian Lillard injured; from March 20 through the end of the regular season, KPJ averaged 14.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.5 steals in nearly 25 minutes per night.
In Game 4 of the Bucks' first-round playoff series against the Indiana Pacers—the game Lillard's season eventually ended—he scored 23 points on 5-of-7 shooting from three to go with six assists and a pair of steals.
That's the Porter Jr. the Bulls should make a run at. Not the full-time starter he was in Houston; Chicago already has Coby White as its go-to option and Josh Giddey as its table-setter. But the Bulls were 14th in the league in bench scoring last year, and Ayo Dosunmu, who only played 46 games, was the team's top scoring reserve.
Porter Jr.'s playmaking and shot-creation would be welcome in that type of role, especially if Giddey or White move on this offseason.