Michael Porter Jr. has been in Brooklyn for less than a full offseason and his name is already on the trade block. Multiple reports this week indicate the Nets are actively gauging the market for Porter, the shooter they acquired from Denver in the Cameron Johnson deal.
The move makes sense on paper. Brooklyn is in a full rebuild, Porter is on a big contract, and the front office would love to convert him into more draft equity before training camp begins. What is less clear is who exactly wants to pay the price to acquire him.
Porter is one of the best pure shooters in the league when healthy. He is 6-foot-10 with legitimate three-level scoring ability, and he was a critical piece of Denver’s 2023 title run. That is the version of Porter the Nets are selling to interested teams.
The concerns are well known. His back has cost him multiple seasons. He is a limited defender. His contract runs through 2028 and pays him north of $35 million per year. Contending teams looking for a shooter want that skill set at a much friendlier price point.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have been mentioned as one possible destination. They need shooting to space the floor around Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley, and they have the young pieces to make a deal work. Whether they want to take on that contract is another matter entirely.
The Los Angeles Lakers have also come up in speculation, though the Lakers currently do not have the draft capital to compete with better offers, and their salary situation makes matching Porter’s contract almost impossible without giving up a rotation player they cannot afford to lose.
Brooklyn’s angle is patience. They are not in a hurry to give Porter away. The front office believes the trade market for shooters always heats up in December when contenders start feeling the pressure of their limitations, and Porter’s value could actually go up as the season plays out.
For Porter, this cannot be fun. He is 28 years old, finally healthy, and preparing for what he hoped would be a fresh start. Instead, he is answering trade questions before camp even opens. That is not the environment any player wants heading into a contract-year season.
If Porter stays in Brooklyn through opening night, expect his volume to spike. The Nets will let him hunt his shot in a way Denver never really did. That could either boost his trade value dramatically or torch it depending on the shooting percentages.
Either way, this story is going to hang over the Nets all year. Buckle up.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
