Michael Porter Jr. may end up as a one-season wonder in Brooklyn.
The Brooklyn Nets are likely to trade away Porter if they cannot agree to a contract extension before the season, Brian Lewis of The New York Post reported on Thursday. Lewis adds that the Nets would be trading the 6-foot-10 forward Porter before the start of the season in that scenario.
Porter, the 28-year-old former lottery pick, played the first six seasons of his NBA career with the Denver Nuggets and was a starter on Denver’s 2023 championship team. But last summer, the Nuggets decided to trade Porter to the lowly Nets for salary-shedding purposes.
In Brooklyn last season, Porter went on to thrive. As the de facto No. 1 option on offense, he averaged career highs with 24.2 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game.
But Porter leading the charge did not lead to very many wins for the Nets as they posted one of their worst seasons in franchise history at 20-62. Now the clock is ticking on Porter’s future as he is set to enter the final year of his contract next season at $40.8 million.
Porter certainly has a strong argument for a big payday after his banner year in 2025-26. But with Brooklyn now looking to build around their younger players (and also taking on some extra money in their trade last month for a former NBA All-Star), that payday might not necessarily be coming from them.
