Michael Porter Jr., or MPJ as many fans refer to him, struggled in the Denver Nuggets’ series against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Porter failed to score 10 points or more in five of his seven games against the Wolves, including four, six, eight, and seven points in the series’ final four games.
During that time, MPJ went 4-21 from three-point range, including 1-6 in a Game 7 collapse. Denver lost a 20-point lead at Ball Arena, ending their season in spectacular way.
Despite head coach Michael Malone supporting Porter after the playoffs, he is set to earn roughly $36 million next season. That figure will rise to more than $38 million in 2025-26, and more than $40 million in the contract’s last year.
The Nuggets could be seeking for salary cap relief, or simply a new beginning for Porter and their own squad. That’s why it’s no surprise that potential MPJ exchanges are already underway.
This summer, Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley proposed one trade for each NBA team, and Porter is involved in two of those. The first option would be to trade him to Toronto for our old friend Bruce Brown, Kelly Olynyk, and two future draft picks.
“This could the kind of package the Nuggets pursue: two plug-and-play rotation players for next year’s playoff run in Brown (a member of Denver’s title team) and Olynyk, plus an early second-round pick and future first-rounder to either grow the young core or sweeten a trade offer down the line,” writes Buckley.
Sure, getting Brown back to Denver would be fantastic, but it feels like a lot to give up. However, Olynyk might be an effective backup big man for Nikola Jokic. He averaged 12.7 points. After moving to Toronto from Utah, he averaged 5.6 rebounds and 4.6 assists in 28 games last season.
The second scenario involves Porter moving to Orlando in exchange for Cole Anthony, Moritz Wagner, Joe Ingles, and the 18th selection in this year’s draft.
“Is the situation serious enough to take on Porter and his large contract? If this were the trade cost, then yes. He’s a 6’10” net-shredder (41.0 percent career three-point shooter), meaning Orlando could be just as big and lanky as ever,” Buckley writes.
Anthony, Wagner, and Ingles were all bench players for the Magic in the playoffs, averaging no more than 6.3 points per game. This feels like increasing bodies for the Nuggets rather than gaining fair value for MPJ. The NBA’s 18th pick is far less valued than in a competition like the NFL.
Finally, an Eastern Conference GM believes the Los Angeles Lakers should chase Porter, but it’s difficult to imagine Denver doing business with one of their rivals.
This should lead to an exciting summer. And everyone will be waiting to see if the Nuggets make a deal with MPJ or try to run it back.
