Nuggets ‘highly unlikely’ to trade Michael Porter Jr.
The Denver Nuggets will only trade Michael Porter Jr. for a superstar.
Michael Porter Jr. has quickly become the Denver Nuggets’ most polarizing player, with his play in the NBA bubble revealing the best and worst of what he has to offer.
There’s a consequence of displaying such highs and lows though: while he’s demonstrated All-Star potential, his developmental timeline also may not fit smoothly enough with Denver’s championship window.
After Jamal Murray’s ascension and Nikola Jokic’s dominance allowed the Nuggets to make it to the Western Conference Finals, Denver is now a ‘win-now’ team. Such a situation begs the question of whether or the Nuggets would be willing to trade MPJ for a more established talent.
Though there’s a cadre of players that fit that description who should be available in trades this offseason, the Nuggets are “highly unlikely” to trade Porter unless they receive a superstar in return, according to The Denver Post’s Mike Singer:
"From Denver’s perspective, trading for Beal means including rookie Michael Porter Jr. That’s a non-starter for the Nuggets, who are highly unlikely to part with Porter unless they get a superstar in return, according to a league source."
For the Nuggets, Singer’s report brings to question what they view as a superstar player. Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal, a two-time All-Star and just 27-years-old, averaged 30.5 points and 6.1 assists per game on a true shooting percentage of 57.9 in the 2019-20 season. Averaging at least 20 points per game in four consecutive seasons, Beal is likely the best player with even the slightest chance of being traded.
If Denver won’t trade Porter for Beal, who would they be willing to trade him for?
Giannis Antetokounmpo? James Harden?
Such a high asking price highlights the confidence that Denver has in him as a player. Still, it’s well-deserved, considering that athletic 6’10” combo forwards with a sweet shooting stroke and an affinity for crashing the glass don’t just grow on trees.
When you think of LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love with the Cleveland Cavaliers, who had a top-10 offense in each of the three seasons that they played together, MPJ is actually a perfect fit alongside Murray and Jokic in a Big Three model.
Like LeBron, Jokic is the team’s primary facilitator and consistently scores from all three levels. Similar to Kyrie, Murray is a crafty scoring guard who plays a great 1-2 game with the team’s primary playmaker. Like Love, Porter is an elite shooter who can play off of the other two, score through plays run for him and get easy shots while he dominates on the boards.
It only makes sense for the Nuggets to attempt to build around that trio and, with the asking price they have for MPJ, it appears that Denver plans to do just that.
Next. MPJ is already back in the gym. dark
Would you move Michael Porter Jr. in a deal for Bradley Beal? Let us know on Twitter @Nugg_Love.