Nuggets fans have been preparing for the possibility of a Michael Porter Jr. trade for a while now, but hopes of a nice return may have been wishful thinking. There was a time when fans thought he might be the centerpiece of a trade for a superstar like Kevin Durant, but that now seems like a pipe dream.
As the dust from the regular season and playoffs has started to wear off and 28 teams are now in full offseason mode, the rumors and reporting have started flying. We’ve gotten a much better picture of the trade landscape and how players may be sought after and valued this offseason, and it doesn’t look great for MPJ and the Nuggets.
The first wave of trade projections to pour in has had Porter Jr. valued as more of a neutral asset, at best. It’s going to be hard to find a home for Mike, and it’s appearing more and more likely that if the Nuggets are able to move him, it will be for salary relief or role players.
Fake trade sends Hachimura and Knecht to Denver
In the latest mock trade proposal from Sports Illustrated, Kyler Fox drew up a three-teamer that sent Porter Jr. and a 2031 Lakers’ first-round pick to the Nets, Nicolas Claxton to the Lakers, and Dalton Knecht and Rui Hachimura to the Nuggets.
Hachimura is a solid 6’8” big wing who can play the three or the four. He’s a better defender than MPJ, but nowhere near an ace on that end. He has shot the ball very well in recent years with the Lakers, but he’s a low-volume guy who’s not involved in actions the way Porter Jr. is. He’s a few months older than MPJ and will be on a very palatable $18.2 million expiring contract.
Knecht was the 17th overall pick in last year’s NBA Draft and had a solid start to his rookie season before being involved in that bizarrely rescinded Mark Williams trade with Charlotte. Knecht had a rough go of it after that and fell out of the rotation prior to the playoffs. He’s old for a rookie, set to turn 25 in October, but he could add some immediate floor spacing for the Nuggets.
MPJ trade return not going to be sexy
Overall, this deal is the kind of thing the Nuggets are looking at in any MPJ trade: salary relief and depth. They’d be getting back two players who can possibly replace Porter Jr.’s production while spreading out some minutes, and saving about $16 million.
This may seem like a disappointing deal for a player who has been a fixture on the most successful teams in Nuggets history, but that’s the reality of the situation. Adding multiple rotation players while saving money this offseason would be a huge win for Denver.