Milwaukee Bucks: Grading all moves in 2021 NBA free agency

fan-favorite Bobby Portis to return to the Bucks on another team-friendly deal worth $9.0 million over two years. Portis will have a player option in the second year, and similar to last season, he&#8217;ll most likely decline it to earn a larger pay day, which would surely be well deserved. The Bucks will also have Bobby&#8217;s Early Bird Rights next offseason, meaning they&#8217;ll be able to pay him more than any other team if he indeed hits free agency again.</p> <p>This was the best-case scenario for the Bucks as Portis will only account for $4.3 million on the cap sheet for next season, which is insane value for a player of his caliber. Bobby reportedly turned down offers from Miami and Dallas in the mid-level exception range that&#8217;s just north of $9.0 million annually, so it&#8217;s pretty obvious that the 26-year-old energizer cherishes his role with the Bucks, the culture, the winning environment, the passionate fans, and the city of Milwaukee.</p> <p>Bobby Portis seems like he&#8217;s found a home after bouncing around the league the last few years, and he&#8217;ll look to provide the same intensity, tenacity, hustle, swagger, and underdog mentality to the Bucks throughout the determined mission to defend the Larry O&#8217;Brien Trophy.</p> <h2>Grade: A+</h2> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/08/25/milwaukee-bucks-nba-free-agency-2/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span>&nbsp;Semi Ojeleye </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_434827" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/08/25/milwaukee-bucks-nba-free-agency-2/2/"https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/imagn-images/2018/08/13819274.jpeg">a three-year contract extension</a> that locks him through the 2024-25 season.</p> <p>After all that Budenholzer has been through since taking over in 2018, including many ups and downs, this extension is well deserved. Despite the bitter postseason disappointments in his first two years with Milwaukee and controversial decision-making throughout his tenure as Bucks coach, he ultimately got the job done.</p> <p>Mike Budenholzer is an NBA Champion and that&#8217;s all that really matters. In addition, Bud has guided the Bucks to a 162-65 regular-season record, 31-17 playoff record, and was named the 2018-19 NBA Coach of the Year.</p> <p>Here&#8217;s what Budenholzer had to say after signing the multi-year extension with Milwaukee:</p> <blockquote><p>&ldquo;The players make the success happen on and off the court. We have the best players and to them I am grateful. They&rsquo;ve grown and we&rsquo;ve grown together during the last three seasons. We&rsquo;ve had success along the way, finishing with an NBA Championship this season! The assistant coaches&rsquo; efforts and contributions to our success has been so vital also. Each of them individually are so important to me, and collectively they make so much good happen for me and our players. We all can&rsquo;t wait to get back to work and face the great challenge of competing again for an NBA Championship. Again, being a part of the Bucks organization is very special. Let&rsquo;s keep getting better and building great teams and doing great work on and off the court. Let&rsquo;s go Bucks!!!&rdquo;</p></blockquote> <p>It was only right for the Milwaukee Bucks to reward Bud for everything he&#8217;s done to lead this team toward glory-filled success. Even though he was on the hot seat last season and maybe a Kevin Durant shoe size away from being let go, Budenholzer deserves to stay long-term.</p> <p>Besides, the players adore him, management respects him to the fullest, and he&#8217;s proved that he&#8217;s a championship coach that can be open-minded when it comes to doing whatever it takes to win. All in all, signing Mike Budenholzer to a three-year contract extension was the proper move to make.</p> <h2>Grade: A</h2> <div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="StoryLink" data-theme="dark" data-text="5 2021 NBA Draft picks that could surprise us" data-url="https://hoopshabit.com/2021/08/25/nba-draft-2021-5-picks-surprise/" data-call-to-action="Next" > <div class="story-link-next"> <a class="story-link-next-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="story-link-next-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/08/25/milwaukee-bucks-nba-free-agency-2/2/"https://hoopshabit.com/2021/08/25/nba-draft-2021-5-picks-surprise/"> <span class="call_to_action">Next:</span>&nbsp;5 2021 NBA Draft picks that could surprise us </a> </div> </div><!—pageview_candidate—>">