Michael Porter Jr. has played so well in Brooklyn that he’s gone from a guy the Nuggets paid to dump a few months ago to one that teams are lining up to acquire. One team that Jake Fischer reported to have had discussions about Mike is the Warriors, another veteran-laden Western Conference team that’ all-in to try and win another title.
Golden State last won a championship in 2022, the season before the Nuggets reached the mountaintop, but the Warriors have had a tough time getting back to that level. They’ve reshaped the core of their roster, saying goodbye to Klay Thompson and bringing in Jimmy Butler.
But they haven’t been able to recapture their old magic, and they're stuck at 18-16, good for 8th place in the West, and looking nothing like a title contender. They need a spark, and a big, young sniper like Mike would certainly fit the mold.
The Warriors lack scoring and shooting around Steph Curry and Draymond Green, and Butler has clogged up the paint and shrunk the court, making it harder for the offense to operate. They need to spread things out, and they need to find a way to salvage the waning years of Curry’s career. Porter Jr. seems like an ideal fit, and his championship experience would likely only make him more appealing.
MPJ deal going to be tough due to his contract
The problem for Golden State is one that Nuggets fans will remember well: the MPJ contract. The Warriors would need to match nearly $40 million in salary, and according to Fischer, the Nets have no interest in taking back the Warriors’ main trade piece, Jonathan Kuminga.
That means they’d either have to include Butler or Green in the deal, which wouldn’t make any sense at all for Brooklyn, or find a third team to get involved. The latter seems much more realistic as the Warriors don’t seem keen on trading one of their veteran linchpins.
So, if Golden State can find a third team to take on Kuminga, they might be able to play ball. Adding Porter Jr. would certainly make them a better team, as JK isn’t even part of their rotation, but it’s unlikely to be enough to make the Warriors a real contender. Still, they could very well match up with Denver in the first round of the playoffs, or possibly even the play-in if the injuries tank the Nuggets’ record.
Seeing Mike on the other side in a playoff battle against the Warriors would be a tough pill to swallow, but that’s now a reality we may be looking at. Nothing is imminent, and there are several other teams in on Porter. At the end of the day, the Nets may just decide to keep the thriving 26-year-old. There’s still over a month to go before the trade deadline, but it’s incredible to think MPJ may be the bell of the ball.