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The Denver Nuggets have few available options this offseason to make major changes, with the exception of potentially considering a trade for Michael Porter Jr. Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey put together 10 potential surprise trade proposals for teams to consider this offseason.
One trade pitch has the Nuggets sending Porter to the Orlando Magic for Jonathan Isaac, Cole Anthony and a 2025 first rounder. The move would clearly be motivated by the Nuggets attempting to shed Porter’s five-year, $179 million contract.
“A painful but possibly necessary consideration is trading Michael Porter Jr., whose $35.9 million salary for next season could be broken up into multiple rotation players,” Bailey wrote in a May 26, 2024 story titled, “10 Potential NBA Trade Ideas Nobody Is Talking About.”
“… For Denver, moving on from a high-end talent whom it developed and won a championship with would be painful, but the Nuggets have a pair of interesting potential replacements in Christian Braun and Peyton Watson. Adding Cole Anthony’s heat-check scoring and Jonathan Isaac’s lights-out defense would be a boost to the bench, too.”
Magic Rumors: Would Orlando Want to Trade for Nuggets Forward Michael Porter Jr.’s $179 Million Contract?
For Orlando, the team has to carefully consider what key piece to add around Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. Both players are due for contract extensions in the coming years. Jalen Suggs joins Wagner as Magic players with deals that expire after the 2024-25 season.
Orlando is slated to have significant cap space this offseason, and it could be the last time in a while with several key players headed for raises. Would Porter be the right piece to pair with Wagner and Banchero? Trading for Porter would add the three-point shooting that the Magic severely lack, but it also comes with a sizable price tag.
“The Orlando Magic would be a logical suitor for the 6’10”, 25-year-old sharpshooter,” Bailey noted. “They had the league’s second-best defense this past season but finished 30th in threes per game and 24th in three-point percentage.
“Having MPJ’s shooting to space the floor around Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner would make Orlando’s offense significantly more difficult to defend. The length of lineups with those three would make it one of the league’s most switchable.”
Denver Nuggets Star Michael Porter Jr. Struggled vs. Minnesota Timberwolves in NBA Playoffs
Porter struggled in the Nuggets’ second round series against the Minnesota Timberwolves, scoring single digits in five of the seven games. The forward averaged 10.7 points while shooting 32.5% from long range in the series.
This was down from Porter’s typical production as the team’s third star alongside Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray. Porter averaged 16.7 points, 7 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game while shooting 39.7% from long range in 81 starts during the regular season.
Nuggets Rumors: Denver May Need to Shed Salary in the Coming Years
There have been no indications that Denver is looking to trade Porter, but the team’s cap situation is less than ideal. Porter still has three seasons remaining on his $179 million deal.
The veteran is slated to have a $35.8 million cap hit in 2024-25. Nuggets general manager Calvin Booth noted the team could be willing to go into the second apron of the luxury tax to continue fielding a contender.
“Calvin Booth leaves the door open for the Nuggets to go into the second luxury tax apron to re-sign Kentavious Caldwell-Pope if he opts out of his contract,” DNVR Sports’ Harrison Wind explained in a May 23 message on X. “He didn’t rule it out and said Denver will look at all options. The Nuggets’ top priority is to field a contender.”
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