One Bucks draft pick departs, another returns
The Milwaukee Bucks got one last move in right at the buzzer of the NBA trade deadline. In GM Jon Horst’s final bit of trade business, the Bucks are sending MarJon Beauchamp to the Los Angleles Clippers in exchange for Kevin Porter Jr.:
FROM SHAMS:
The Los Angeles Clippers are trading Kevin Porter Jr. to the Milwaukee Bucks for MarJon Beauchamp, sources tell ESPN.
— Shams Charania Tweets (& Other NBA News) (@shamsbot.bsky.social) 2025-02-06T19:56:59.719078+00:00
Kevin Porter Jr. technically began his career as a Milwaukee Buck being selected by the team 30th overall in the 2019 NBA Draft before promptly being shipped to the Detroit Pistons with Tony Snell for Jon Leuer. He’d finally end up with the Cleveland Cavaliers where he averaged 10.0 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in 50 games as a rookie. His time with the Cavs was blighted by what would be the start of a number of legal issues, including charges for “improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle after he flipped his Mercedes SUV on an interstate southeast of Cleveland” (charges were eventually dropped) and accusations of having punched a woman in the face in downtown Cleveland.
Porter was moved to the Houston Rockets in January 2021 where he would begin to thrive a bit as a scoring option on a then-lowly rebuilding Rockets squad. 2022-2023 saw him average 19.2 points on .442/366/.784 splits, 5.7 assists, and 5.0 rebounds in 59 starts. That run of play would come to a close when Porter Jr. was arrested again, this time on charges of domestic violence. Prosecutors initially said his alleged assault left the female victim with broken vertebrae and a deep cut above her right eye. The Rockets cut ties with him after that second arrest, and Porter spent the entire 2023-2024 season out of the NBA.
It should also be noted that the NBA resumed their investigation of Porter’s domestic violence case once he returned to the league with the Clippers. That investigation is still live:
RE: Kevin Porter Jr.
League source confirmed that he is still under league investigation for September 2023 incident involving Kysre Gondrezick, as has been the case since July 2024
www.nytimes.com/athletic/563…
— Law Murray (@lawmurraythenu.bsky.social) 2025-02-06T20:15:25.939Z
As far as play with the Clippers, he’s had a somewhat limited role off the bench. He’s averaging 19.6 minutes through 45 appearances (including 5 starts) scoring 9.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 3.2 assists. At 6’4” and age 24, he undoubtedly brings youth, energy, and athleticism to the bench with a track record of statistical contributions wherever he has showed up, but whether the tradeoff for the off-the-court uh… stuff… is worthwhile is a YMMV question.
Crucially, though, acquiring KPJ at his $2.2 million contract has second apron implications:
There is the creation they need after losing Middleton. If no other salary is coming back from LA, this will reduce the Bucks’ payroll by $500k. They are now under the 2nd apron number by $3.2m.
KPJ has a $2.5m player option this summer.
— Van Fayaz (@vanfayaz.bsky.social) 2025-02-06T20:01:07.198Z
The move sees MarJon Beauchamp’s career as a Buck come to an end. Selected 24th overall in the 2022 draft, he never showed much progression in his game after a rookie campaign that had a few promising moments. Milwaukee has already declined his option for the 2025-2026 season, so ending up in Los Angeles is, at most, a chance to set himself up for a hopeful second chance somewhere in the league after getting a fresh start or some fresh eyes on him as a player.
Milwaukee currently sits at a roster with 14 out of 15 full-time player slots filled. Keep an eye on this space as we now enter buyout season and the slow ticking down of Ryan Rollins’s two-way contract availability.