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The looming issue for the Denver Nuggets is not so much how to rebuild a team that won an NBA championship in 2023, but rather how the team can afford to keep as much of the group together in the coming weeks as possible—and whether a player (or more) will have to be sacrificed along the way.
If their players all opt-in, the Nuggets are looking at a payroll of nearly $200 million.
That is well over the projected $171 million luxury tax and puts them in danger of being over the dreaded so-called second apron. If there’s a way out of their financial morass, especially with a Jamal Murray extension looming, it would be to deal away 3-point ace forward Michael Porter Jr.
And the easiest way might well be to send him to the Eastern Conference—specifically, to a shooting-starved up-and-comer, the Orlando Magic.
“I think there is a lot of talk just starting about [Porter] and what might happen with him, and there would be a lot of interest,” one Eastern Conference GM told Heavy Sports. “Financially, they are under pressure. But you could do a deal with the Magic, to me, that is the easy way to still get relief and a good return.”
Nuggets’ 2018 Gamble Paid Off
Porter is a polarizing player and has been since he entered the league. He was considered a potential No. 1 pick back in the 2018 NBA draft, which saw DeAndre Ayton go first, followed by Marvin Bagley and Luka Doncic. But a back injury that kept him out of his rookie year concerned teams, and the Magic passed on him at No. 6 to take Mo Bamba.
The Nuggets gambled on MPJ, and he has paid off.
Now, he remains polarizing, not so much because of his ability but because of his contract. The Nuggets raised eyebrows across the league, in fact, when they bequeathed Porter a five-year max deal at $207 million in the fall of 2021. He made $33 million last season and will make $36 million next season.
Considering his numbers—16.7 points, 39.7% 3-point shooting, 7.0 rebounds last year, and 41.0% from the 3-point line on his career—Porter’s value is clear. He’s just getting paid too much for his production.
But around the NBA, Porter’s value goes beyond what his numbers with the Nuggets are. He is a No. 3-4 option in Denver, but the Nuggets chose to pay him like a No. 1 or 2 option, which he could and would be for many teams around the NBA.
“That is the thing with Porter,” the GM told Heavy Sports. “He could average 23, 24 points if he was the lead guy on a team, and the Nuggets paid him that way. But he just has to play his role so he gets looked at like he is Duncan Robinson or something. If you think this guy is Duncan Robinson, you’re not paying attention.”
Michal Porter Jr. Trade Could Add Depth
The Magic certainly would have the pieces to entice a Denver Nuggets trade, as well as the motivation. They had the No. 3-ranked defense in the NBA, at 110.8 points per 100 possessions, and that drove their success this season. Their offense was just 22nd with a 112.9 rating, and the culprit there was clear: They could not shoot.
The Magic were 30th in the NBA in 3-point shooting, making just 11.0 per game, and were 24th with a 35.2% 3-point accuracy rate.
Porter could help, and as a team with cap space, the Magic could provide some salary relief. The Nuggets could use a good two-way wing off the bench and a better backup center to help with the non-Nikola Jokic minutes, and the Magic could help by at least offering center Wendell Carter Jr.—who is probably too good when healthy to just be a 10-minute player—and defensive ace Jonathan Isaac.
The Magic, potentially, could add bench scorer Cole Anthony as a piece to make things work.
“There are a lot of ways to make a Magic deal happen if you’re the Nuggets, the salaries do not have to match up and that is a big thing, too,” the GM told Heavy Sports. “Carter would be a perfect big man, if he would take on the role, you could try him with Jokic a bit. Denver will have options if they want to move [Porter], though.”
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