Brooklyn Nets forward Michael Porter Jr. is looking forward to his second season with the Nets after having an All-Star caliber season in his first campaign as the primary scorer. Brooklyn is trying to improve off a 20-62 record in the 2025-26 season by adding talent to a roster, but Porter is trying to do what he can to convince one of his former teammates to join him.
“He’s about to sign for $130 million. I’m trying to get him in Brooklyn, though. Brooklyn fans, shoutout to PY, man,” Porter said in a livestream in which Denver Nuggets forward Peyton Watson was also one of the guests. Watson is currently a restricted free-agent that is presumably negotiating with the Nuggets, and possibly other teams, but it seems that Porter isn’t shy about his wanting Watson to come to Brooklyn.
Watson, 23, is coming off a 2025-26 season in which he averaged 14.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game while shooting 49.1% from the field and 41.1% from behind the three-point line. While Watson was considered one of the best free-agents this offseason, it seems like his free-agency is another example of how restricted free-agency can make it harder for players to get the deals they want or to change teams.
Porter, 28, is coming off an All-Star caliber campaign of his own as he averaged 24.2 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game while shooting 46.3% from the field and 36.3% from behind the three-point line. What could be interesting to see following Porter’s recruitment of Watson is how Brooklyn approaches extension talks with Porter, assuming that Watson is still a free-agent target.
As of now, the Nets have a little under $14 million in maximum cap space and that is not including Brooklyn reportedly signing Orlando Magic center Mo Wagner to a two-year, $18 million contract. The Wagner signing is still not official so there could be more moving pieces behind the scenes, but until then, Porter is trying to see if the Nets can acquire another forward in the midst of a breakout.
This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Nets’ Michael Porter Jr. trying to recruit Nuggets’ Peyton Watson
Reporting by Sharif Phillips-Keaton, Nets Wire / Nets Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Sharif Phillips-Keaton, Nets Wire | USA TODAY Network
