Marc Stein dismisses Michael Porter Jr.’s market hype
As the 5th of Feb NBA trade deadline approaches, one of the names that seems to keep coming up Brooklyn Nets wing Michael Porter Jr. is in trade rumors. The Nets are in a rebuilding situation, and Porter was able to show his talent in a way he couldn’t always do when he played with the Denver Nuggets. In doing so, he became a potential trade target for competing teams.
But even as the trade winds blow around the Nets, Michael Porter Jr don’t be a lock to move at the deadline, according to NBA insider Marc Stein. Stein reports that it’s increasingly possible that the Nets decide to hang on to Porter until the offseason.
Porter’s trade value has never been higher than it is right now, but if he continues the strong season he’s had, there will likely still be plenty of offers in the offseason.
The Nets originally acquired Porter last offseason in a trade that sent Cam Johnson to the Nuggets. Porter had the ball in his hands more than he ever did when he was in Denver, and it statistically resulted in the best season of his career.
Porter appeared in a total of 29 games for the Nets, logging just over 33 minutes per game. He averaged a career-high 25.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.1 steals on 49 percent shooting from the field, 39.7 percent from the 3-point line and 83.3 percent from the free throw line. His rebounds and assists are also career highs, as are his 18.7 shot attempts.
The No. 14 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, Porter has developed into one of the best catch-and-shoot players in the league playing against Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray. He helped the Nuggets win the NBA title in 2023. But there was a reason he was once considered the No. 1 high school player in the country, and he showed it this season.
2026-01-11 22:54:00
