Since the NBA trade season unofficially began on Dec. 15, much of the discussion surrounding which players might be on the move has focused on perennial All-Stars and All-NBA players who are big names: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony Davis, Trae Young, Ja Morant and others. But with the Feb. 5 trade deadline still more than a month away, the league seems increasingly interested in the availability and potential market for Brooklyn Nets forward Michael Porter Jr.
Just six months ago, the Nuggets sent an unprotected 2032 first-round pick to the Nets to accept the final two years and $79.1 million of the five-year, rookie-scale max contract Porter signed in the summer of 2021. However, after a stellar start to his tenure in Brooklyn, Porter has likely gone from distressed asset to hot target.
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Jake Fischer of The Stein Line reports that the Nets have shown a willingness to “listen” to veteran players, including Porter, but they are not “aggressively shopping” the 27-year-old swingman. As ESPN’s Shams Charania and others have reported, it’s entirely possible that the Nets forego a major move and instead continue to serve as a cap-space rental staging post for other teams looking to make money and willing to pay draft picks.
Still, Fisher highlighted several teams potentially running for Porter to watch if the conversation picks up in the coming weeks: the Milwaukee Bucks, Detroit Pistons, Golden State Warriors and Chicago Bulls. All four potential suitors make at least some sense.
Even though the Bucks are now off to a 14-20 start and trailing for a play-in spot in the Eastern Conference, Bucks brain trust has expressed interest in adding talent at the deadline rather than detonating their building with any of the much-rumored-but-never-actually-completed bombshells that would send Antetokounmpo away from Milwaukee, according to multiple reports. According to Cleaning the Glass, while the Pistons sit atop the Eastern Conference standings, they are 10-7 since a 15-2 start and rank 25th or worse in three-point shooting percentage, team three-point shooting percentage and half-court scoring efficiency.
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Likewise, the Warriors have struggled to find a consistent second source of offense beyond the seemingly ageless Stephen Curry. Fisher noted that while trying to discern the motivations behind Chicago’s plot has long been a wasted game, the Bulls and Nuggets have had “serious discussions” about a swap that would have brought Porter to the Windy City and then shipped Zach LaVine to Sacramento; if Chicago’s decision-makers still like Porter’s talent, a new round of discussions with Brooklyn’s brass is at least possible.
Judging by his performance on film this season, they — and many other front offices around the league — should be.
Michael Porter Jr.’s stellar start in Brooklyn could make him a hot commodity on the NBA trade market. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
(Mitchell Leff via Getty Images)
Porter averaged a career-high 25.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game, shooting 58% on two-pointers, 41% on three-pointers and 81.2% on free throws while taking more than 9 attempts per game. According to Stathead, only 14 NBA players are averaging at least 25 points per game with a .600 true shooting percentage this season, including five MVPs (Curry, Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Kevin Durant, James Harden), three multiple NBA selections All-NBA players (Luka Doncic, Anthony Edwards, Donovan Mitchell) and two former All-Stars (Lauri Markkanen, Tyrese Maxey). Porter is on that list.
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that is Porter has been in that company on offense this season – an elite among high-volume, efficient score producers. His assist rate has also more than doubled from his previous career-best assist rate, and in his playing time, he has set up nearly 20% of his teammates’ field goals and is cleaning up defensive rebounds more consistently than he has been since his rookie season. Although he is not a top defender personally, Porter have Showed the ability to play in a top league level defense. Since switching to a long-ball lineup with Porter at small forward, 6-foot-11 Nic Claxton and 6-foot-10 Noah Clowney at forward, 6-foot-8 rookie Egor Dёmin and 6-foot-6 veteran Terance Mann in the backcourt, and a ton of size on the bench, Brooklyn has Boasting the NBA’s third-ranked defense since the beginning of the month — all with Porter leading the charge. minute.
Add it all up, and by a number of metrics — estimated plus-minus, value relative to replacement, plus-minus and player efficiency rating, among others — Porter is performing like a top 20 to 30 player in the NBA this season. 6-foot-10 sharpshooter who can contribute in a smaller role, expand usage without losing efficiency, and can cook with the ball in his hands and If he does hit the market, his off-ball activity and gravity appear to be of great value around the league, opening up space in your playbook and beyond for his teammates. Whether Porter’s $40.8 million contract next season makes him more attractive (not a loan!) or less attractive (that’s a lot of money on the books for a guy with persistent back problems and sagging!) may depend on potential suitors.
The question the Nets have to answer between now and February 5 is: Is this as good (and healthy) as Porter could be, making it an ideal time to sell high and try to acquire more Picking up capital and/or young talent for him in the eternal game of asset arbitrage that rebuilding teams must play? Or is this who Porter really is, and how consistent he can be in Jordy Fernandez’s system – and therefore, perhaps an ideal game-ending cornerstone for the upwardly mobile franchise Sean Marks and company are trying to build with all these young big playmakers?
The answer likely depends on a number of factors: How Porter performs next month; how many teams see themselves as just a mid-sized team unable to play more meaningful basketball in the spring? Considering the Nets Do Control their own first-round pick this summer, and No (Though, as the New York Post’s Brian Lewis points out, there may be other paths to a drop in the rankings that don’t include changing MPJ’s course before February.)
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Ultimately, though, it’s likely to mostly come down to how much other teams say they’re willing to pay for Porter. Fisher reported that “retradeable salary and a future first-round pick … may not be enough” to pry him away midseason, as the Nets may look to add bigger, more aggressive players to their roster in the summer — moves that would likely require a big salary like Porter’s as financial weight. If someone were to buy a couple legitimate first-round picks like Mikal Bridges/Desmond Bane did, Porter might end the season in a different uniform.
If not? Well, go ahead and hire a player that fits what you want to do and is a good fit for your 25 to 35 already It first buys you an unprotected future, which doesn’t seem like such a bad deal — even if it means one less potential deal for NBA observers to focus on.