The Denver Nuggets are playing with fire. With mere days remaining until the start of the 2025 NBA Playoffs, Denver has hitched its wagon to the idea that firing general manager Calvin Booth and head coach Michael Malone is what was necessary to create a spark in the locker room.
In the event that this bold strategy fails to pay off, however, the next Nugget to go seems fairly obvious: Polarizing forward Michael Porter Jr.
Porter is a 26-year-old modern forward who's capable of catching fire and turning a game on its head. He's proven as much throughout his NBA career, burying 2.4 three-point field goals per game on 40.6 percent shooting from beyond the arc through six seasons.
Porter has continued that trend in 2024-25, posting averages of 18.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.8 offensive boards, 2.2 assists, and 2.5 three-point field goals made on .504/.393/.769 shooting.
The harsh reality of Porter's place in Denver's rotation, however, is that his contract is as significant as his production—if not more so. He's earning $35,859,950 in 2024-25, and still has 2025-26 and 2026-27 salaries worth $38,333,050 and $40,806,150, respectively, coming his way.
If the sweeping changes being made extend to the rotation, then it stands to reason that Porter will be the next individual out if he fails to change a narrative he can't seem to escape.
Michael Porter Jr. could be next to go if Nuggets continue to clean house
Porter is an NBA champion who has started each of the 217 games he's played for the Nuggets since 2022-23. He's also proven to be unselfish enough to buy in on defense when his shot isn't falling, which proved essential during the championship run.
The unfortunate narrative following Porter into the 2025 NBA Playoffs, however, is that he's not an entirely reliable scoring option during the postseason.
Porter has accumulated a regular-season average of 17.6 points per game since 2020-21. He's shot the lights out during that time, accumulating a slash line of .499/.405/.791 that should have Denver labeling him as untouchable.
Across that same stretch, however, Porter has averaged 15.0 points on .449/.379/.789 shooting during the playoffs—and the context doesn't exactly help his case for roster security.
Porter averaged 18.8 points per game during the first round of the 2021 NBA Playoffs, 16.4 in the first round in 2023, and 22.8 in the opening round in 2024. Unfortunately, his production has fallen off a cliff in every series beyond the initial fight to advance.
That includes the championship-winning run in 2023, when Porter averaged just 12.3 points on .398/.327/.850 shooting after the first round.
That unfortunately wasn't a fluke, but instead the steady theme that's followed him throughout his career. He averaged 15.3 points per game on 39.8 percent shooting from the field during the second round in 2021, and scored in double-figures just twice during Round 2 in 2024.
For a player due to make nearly $80 million over the next two seasons, Porter simply can't afford to continue to struggle whenever Denver makes it past the first round. The Nuggets have a generational talent in their prime in Nikola Jokic, and a Porter-size salary is tough to justify for consistently lackluster postseason play and production.
If firing Booth and Malone is a sign of things to come, then Porter will need a monster postseason to avoid sharing their fate as former Nuggets cornerstones.