The Denver Nuggets made a surprise move Monday when they dealt Michael Porter Jr. and an unprotected 2032 first-round pick to the Brooklyn Nets for Cam Johnson.
Porter spent his entire NBA career in Denver after the Nuggets made him the No. 14 pick in '18, serving as a big part of the franchise's first title team in '23. Last season, he made 77 appearances—all starts—and averaged 18.2 points and seven rebounds per game while shooting 39.5% on three-pointers.
He has two years left on his massive five-year extension he signed with Denver in '21, though. The move provides cost savings and added financial flexibility as the Nuggets removed the $38.3 million he was set to make this year and $40.8 million next off their books.
Denver brings in another sharpshooter in Johnson to replace the void Porter leaves, but parted with an unprotected future first-round pick to do so.
So, who got the better end of the deal—the Nuggets or the Nets? Let's dive in:
Denver Nuggets
Trade grade: B
Although it's difficult to part with a big part of your championship-winning team and the only tradeable first-round pick in your cupboard, the Nuggets needed to get off Porter's contract.
The price to clear the rest of Porter's owed money was high, giving the Nets a highly coveted unprotected first-round pick in '32. That far into the future, the pick can fall anywhere in the first round. But Denver acquired a good fit in Johnson who's a career 39.2% shooter from three and hit 39% on threes on over seven attempts per game last season.
Johnson has two years left on his deal, as he's set to make $21 million this season and $23 million next year—significantly less than Porter. The deal gets Denver under the NBA's luxury tax, providing flexibility to make more moves to add depth and make a push to compete in the stacked Western Conference behind three-time MVP Nikola Jokic.
Denver brought back Bruce Brown—a big piece on their title team—on a one-year deal Monday, suring up their rotation surrounding Porter and potentially Russell Westbrook's departure.
Brooklyn Nets
Trade Grade: B-
The Nets don't have a franchise player they're building around or much definitive direction at all. But when a team is in that situation, the best thing to do is take on contracts that teams are looking to get rid of in exchange for draft capital. That's exactly what the Nets did here, receiving a pretty shiny unprotected first-round pick in '32 at that.
Sure, Brooklyn—or another team they trade that pick to—won't see that player on their roster until nearly a decade from now. But who knows where the Nuggets will stand that far ahead, leaving the possibility for the pick to land at the top of the draft wide open. Plus, if the Nets are ever in position to make a big trade, Denver's future unprotected pick is certainly an asset that adds high value to a potential deal.
From an immediate roster standpoint, Porter doesn't make sense in the uncertain path forward for the franchise. If the Nets can flip him to a contender for even more assets, the move turns into a big win. That will be difficult due to his salary, which other teams will have a tough time absorbing. Porter only has two years left on his contract, though, where he could just play out the rest of his deal in Brooklyn and sign elsewhere after.
I do wonder if the Nets could have moved Johnson for a solid return without taking Porter's contract, but they got a really nice draft asset to do so.