Michael Porter Jr. blows up the Nets’ tank business. Will he be a trade candidate?

Michael Porter Jr. encourages a Brooklyn Nets a turnaround while playing the best basketball of his career. Supposedly a tank squad won its third straight game with Porter Jr. in the lineup on Saturday, crushing the New Orleans Pelicans 119-101 at the Barclays Center.

Porter Jr. scored 35 points on 14-of-23 shooting from the field and 5-of-10 from three in the win. The game marked his third straight 30-point performance after scoring 33 and 35 in wins over the Charlotte Hornets and Chicago Bulls, respectively. Porter Jr. became the first player in Nets history to record 30-plus points, five-plus rebounds and five-plus three-pointers in three consecutive games.

“He makes his teammates’ lives better. He doesn’t play selfishly,” Jordi Fernandez said. “The shots he creates — he’s able to make every shot possible — but when he spaces the floor properly, and when he’s cutting at a fast pace, and he’s constantly moving, and then rebounding the ball … it’s really good for everybody else … So all those things are important, and they don’t go unnoticed. He talks to all his young guys and new teammates, it shows that he’s adapting and adapting to maturity. (With) a smile on his face, all that positive energy is contagious and I think he’s been a big part of bringing this team together.

Porter Jr. was somewhat of an outcast nationally after the Denver Nuggets salary moved him to the Nets. However, the 27-year-old is playing at an All-Star level as the No. 1 option. 1 in Brooklyn.

Will Nets Trade Michael Porter Jr. Amid Falling Lottery Odds?

Over his last 13 appearances, Porter Jr. is averaging 28.2 points — 10th in the NBA — on 51/42/83. His 65.2 true shooting percentage during that span leads the league among players who attempt 19 or more shots per game.

“I just think the continuity of our offense is (improving). Guys are just getting used to playing with each other. That gives me good looks,” Porter said. “I get a lot of easy looks at the rim and then I can make some jumpers from there. So I try to focus on the inside-out game. And it’s easy to play with guys like (Nic) Clacton, Dai’Ron (Sharpe), (Danny) Wolff, Egor (Demin). They find me for easy looks.”

Most impressively, Porter Jr.’s career-best stats translated into wins. The Nets are 6-7 in the forward’s last 13 appearances with a positive net rating (+0.7) during his minutes. While that part undoubtedly boosts Porter Jr.’s value. as an asset, it pushes the Nets away from the best draft lottery odds and their goal of landing a transformational prospect next June.

After an 0-7 start, Saturday’s win eliminated the Nets into a tie for fifth place in the draw table. They are 3.5 games behind the Pelicans for first place, 2.5 behind the Washington Wizards for second and one behind the Indiana Pacers for third.

The Nets have looked like the superior team during their recent matchups with other tanking teams. They have won their last five games against teams below .500 with Porter Jr. in the lineup, posting a +14.8 net rating. Take him out of the equation and they’re 0-4 with two losses to sub-.500 teams, with a -15.7 net rating.

Along with Porter Jr.’s stellar play, a revamped frontcourt is fueling Brooklyn’s recent success. After losing their first seven games, the Nets turned to a starting lineup of Porter Jr., Noah Clowney and Nick Claxton. That trio posted a +3.37 net rating in 304 minutes combined, according to PBPStats.com.

After an injury-plagued second season, Clowney is on a breakout streak to begin 2024-25. The 21-year-old is averaging 16.6 points on 45/40/82 shooting over Brooklyn’s last 16 games. Meanwhile, Claxton is also playing career-best basketball, averaging 13.6 points, 7.7 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.4 blocks on 55.7 percent shooting.

General manager Sean Marks should feel pressure to maximize Brooklyn’s 2026 pick. Marks traded four first-round picks to the Houston Rockets in June 2024 to reacquire Brooklyn’s 2025 and 2026 first-rounders. One of those four picks was a 2025 first-rounder from the Phoenix Suns, who finished just two spots ahead of the Nets in June’s draft after exceeding expectations last season.

Nets owner Joe Tsai almost admitted his team’s plans for this season during podcast appearances this summer.

“We have one pick in 2026 and we hope to get a good pick. So you can predict what kind of strategy we will use for this season,” Tsai said.

The Nets have taken steps to improve their tank prospects this season. In the June draft, they made an NBA record five picks in the first round and entered the season with only rookies at the point guard position. Still, the high-level play of Porter Jr., Clowney and Claxton — and how bad the NBA has been at the bottom of the standings — once again left Brooklyn on the outside looking for the best lottery odds.

Porter Jr. and Clacton will generate trade interest by the February 5 deadline. However, without control of their 2027 first-round pick, the Nets will look to take a step back toward contention next season. Both players are young enough to be part of the team’s future plans.

Whether or not Marks decides to ditch Porter Jr. and/or Claxton in order to maximize Brooklyn’s lottery picks will be the main question surrounding the team over the next two months.