The Brooklyn Nets made one of the more notable moves during the first day of free-agency for the 2025 NBA offseason when they traded for Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. While some expect for Brooklyn to use Porter Jr. to acquire more draft picks and/or younger players, it seems that the Nets have different plans in store for Porter.
“Nets are excited about MPJ and the intention is to keep him,” ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne wrote Monday on X to provide more context to colleague Shams Charania reporting the news of Brooklyn acquiring Porter. Charania reported on Monday that the Nets traded forward Cam Johnson to the Nuggets in exchange for Porter and an unprotected 2032 first-round pick, quite the haul for Johnson.
Johnson was the subject of trade rumors for much of the past year after Brooklyn decided to enter a full-scale rebuild last offseason by trading Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks for multiple first-round picks. Given that Johnson had shown that he could be a key contributor on a playoff-caliber team during his days with the Phoenix Suns, the expectation was that the Nets would try to get as much for him as soon as possible.
While that didn’t happen, Johnson went on to have his best season of his six-year career after averaging 18.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game while shooting 47.5% from the field and 39.0% from three-point land. Using Johnson to get Porter and a future first-round pick looks like a solid piece of work from general manager Sean Marks given that Porter had similar production for a better Denver team.
Porter averaged 18.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game while shooting 50.4% from the floor and 39.5% from deep while playing in 77 games for the Nuggets. It looks like the trade for Porter was Brooklyn’s way of using their league-leading cap space given that Johnson has two years and $44 million left on his contract while Porter has two years and $79 million left on his deal.
This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Report: Nets intend to keep Michael Porter Jr. after Cam Johnson trade
Reporting by Sharif Phillips-Keaton, Nets Wire / Nets Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
