Zach Lowe had some fiery things to say about comments from the media in the wake of the Michael Porter Jr. trade, and at one point, he even called it a "net-loss," before walking that back a bit. He brought up some interesting points in his rant on the most recent episode of The Zach Lowe Show. The deal saw Cam Johnson join the Nuggets while MPJ was sent to Brooklyn.
"People at the time were talking about Michael Porter Jr. like he was a bum, like he was an appendage that the Nuggets carried to the title," Lowe lambasted about the sentiment surrounding MPJ when the trade was completed. He thought that the media had "wildly disrespected" MPJ and that everyone was making it out to be such a great trade.
Lowe wasn't shy in backing up his points, including his thoughts on how the trade had panned out, and he didn't like it for Denver. "I think this trade has been a net loss so far," Lowe said, before walking that back in realizing that it did clear up much-needed cap space. The deal also allowed for the Nuggets to acquire Jonas Valanciunas, who he said has "been big" for Denver.
And he was quick to remind the Nuggets what they had given up. "This dude is six ten, and he’s an A-plus plus three-point shooter. And what a boon that is for any team with Jokic," said Lowe.
That's accurate. The Nuggets are the best three-point shooting team in the NBA, but Johnson is actually shooting better than MPJ this year at 42%, to Porter's 37%.
Lowe barely acknowledged the biggest reason for the trade
Lowe discussed the defensive aspect of the trade, too. He made sure to mention that while Porter Jr. is a minus-defender, people were giving Johnson more credit than he deserved. "What did he become, Scottie Pippen or something?" Lowe postulated sarcastically. And that was the tone for the entirety of the rant.
But Lowe only glossed over the biggest reason for the trade: cap space. The Nuggets were only able to avoid the luxury tax this season because of this trade. Johnson saved Denver about $17 million in cap space this year and next season. That's a lot of money for a team that is far past the tax threshold and will be trying to re-sign another up-and-coming star in Peyton Watson.
The Nuggets are going to have their hands full with Watson in restricted free agency this summer. Watson to the Lakers rumors have been constant, and they've got a new owner with deep pockets who isn't afraid to spend money to win. He owns the Dodgers.