Recent rumors have indicated that the Brooklyn Nets could end up trading Michael Porter Jr. by the deadline. Not only that, but the Nets could end up getting really good value back in return for Porter. And if that becomes the case, then it will be a very tough pill to swallow for the Denver Nuggets.
When the Nuggets traded Porter over the summer, they had to attach a future first-round pick to him in order to bring back Cameron Johnson. At the time, it looked like a great deal for Denver, considering how Porter’s fit had deteriorated over time.
But if Brooklyn gets back a great return for Porter just a few months after being gifted a future first for him, it would definitely sting a bit.
The Nets getting positive value for Michael Porter Jr. would sting for the Nuggets
Porter has been amazing for the Nets this season. Though the Nets have sat toward the bottom of the Eastern Conference, Porter has ended up being a great fit in Brooklyn.
He’s been putting up the best numbers of his career this season, all while shooting the ball very efficiently from the field and from three, which is relatively abnormal for a top shot-taker on a tanking team.
In fact, Porter has been playing so well that teams around the league are looking at him as one of the top trade candidates at the deadline, and the Nets could end up getting a great return.
One of the teams that is reportedly interested in trading for Porter is the Golden State Warriors. Brooklyn could try to get Jonathan Kuminga and draft capital back for Porter.
Depending on what picks the Nets get back, that could end up being a much better return for Porter than the Nuggets got, especially considering Denver had to give up a first just go offload his contract.
If the Nets end up getting a Warriors pick that’s more than two or three years into the future, it could be a lottery pick, depending on how the post-Stephen Curry era looks.
All the while, Johnson has only appeared in 28 games for the Nuggets this year and is currently out with a knee injury that has held him out for weeks.
Obviously, that’s nobody’s fault. Bad injury luck is what it is. But still, the fact that Denver effectively paid the Nets to take Porter’s contract in the Johnson deal was already a tough pill to swallow.
And now that the Nets may end up flipping Porter for positive value, it stings just that much more.