Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis has informed the team that he’ll decline his $4.6 million option and become a free agent, his agent, Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports, told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Wednesday.
Portis has early Bird rights in Milwaukee. According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks, the maximum that Portis can sign for is four years and $49 million. The contract has to be for a minimum of two seasons and cannot include an option in the second year.
A year ago, after helping the Bucks win a title, Portis declined a $3.8 million option and became a free agent. He ultimately stayed in Milwaukee on a two-year, $9 million contract that included a player option in the second year.
Portis, 27, started 59 of his 72 games last season, largely as a fill-in for an injured Brook Lopez. He averaged 14.6 points and 9.1 rebounds while shooting 47.9% from the field and 39.3% from 3-point range.
Portis has started seven playoff games in the past two years in Milwaukee and averaged 15.4 points and 11.3 rebounds in them.