4 Michael Porter Jr. trades the Denver Nuggets should strongly consider

The offseason has begun for the Nuggets and much faster than they would have liked. The team bowed out in seven games to the Timberwolves in round two of the playoffs and fell short in their quest to repeat as champions.

There’s certainly no shame in that, but this team is built to win right now and anything short of a title feels a little disappointing. It was pretty clear watching the series against the Wolves that this team has some issues and some roster moves could do wonders for their chances of getting back to the mountaintop in the next few seasons.

Unfortunately, the team has limited means to upgrade, holding limited tradable draft capital, a shortage of young players with upside, and pretty severe financial limitations. One of the only realistic options for the front office to make major changes this summer would mean trading Michael Porter Jr. 

MPJ has been a very solid player for the Nuggets, but he’s shrunken in some big moments and his contract is starting to look like an albatross with 3 years and $115 million remaining. That’s a lot of money to play for a fourth option, especially as Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon are both due for massive new contracts and the team will have to pony up to keep Kentavious Caldwell-Pope this summer.

But Porter Jr. is still just 25 years old and is a knockdown shooter at 6’10”. He has a lot of upside and provides a combination of size and skill that is rare and desirable in the league right now. The Nuggets should be able to get solid value back if they are willing to move MPJ and it may help balance the roster in a way that makes the team better.

Will Eudy did a wonderful job highlighting four teams that would make good trade partners for Porter Jr, the Jazz, 76ers, Pistons, and Spurs. Here is a look at what a trade with each of those teams might look like and why the Nuggets should strongly consider them.

Trade #1: Nuggets add 2 stud role players to create an elite bench

The Jazz are looking to get younger and have a bit of a stacked frontcourt already. They would be happy to get a hot shooting young wing in MPJ and they’re likely willing to part with Collins and the veteran Clarkson.

Clarkson has been one of the best bench scorers in the league the past few seasons and could back up Jamal Murray or play alongside him and provide a steady dose of shooting and playmaking. Collins would be a super sub who could easily start. He could back up both Gordon and Jokic while playing near-starter minutes on most nights and provide a very solid scoring punch.

In this scenario, Christian Braun would slide into MPJ’s starting slot which would hardly even be a downgrade and is a lineup the Nuggets closed with in these playoffs anyway. The bench would immediately go from a weakness to an elite unit, perhaps one of the best in the league. The Nuggets would have one of the deepest and most talented teams in the league.

Starting Lineup:

G - Jamal Murray

G - Kentavious Caldwell-Pope

F - Christian Braun

F - Aaron Gordon

C - Nikola Jokic

Bench:

G - Jordan Clarkson

F/C - John Collins

F - Peyton Watson

That’s an excellent eight-man rotation and that’s not even factoring in other veterans the Nuggets will inevitably add or bring back, plus whatever they get out of their other young players and draft picks. If the Jazz are interested in Porter Jr., this could be a great deal for both sides.