Former Magic Forward Otto Porter Jr. Playing Big Role For Warriors Finals Run

Porter played three games for the Magic last season.

ORLANDO - A year ago, Otto Porter Jr. was just wrapping up his stint with the Orlando Magic after a trade from the Chicago Bulls at the NBA Trade Deadline.

At 28 years old coming off a max contract many would say was undeserving, Porter's NBA future was in doubt.

Now, Porter is one win away from his first NBA championship as a starter for the Golden State Warriors.

Porter's journey through the NBA has been a unique one, starting out as the No. 3 overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft by the Washington Wizards, where he spent the first five seasons of his career. In 2017, Porter Jr. received a max contract offer from the Brooklyn Nets that paid him north of $100 million. Given the Wizards were trying to keep the team together after reaching the second round of the playoffs, the team matched the offer.

However, things began to fizzle for Porter and the Wizards, and his contract made him the team's most overpaid player next to the injured John Wall. This forced the Wizards to deal Porter to the Chicago Bulls for a meager package including Jabari Parker and Bobby Portis.

Porter began dealing with injuries, which limited him to 54 games with the Bulls across three seasons before being the salary filler in the Nikola Vucevic trade last year.

As an expiring veteran contract on a rebuilding Magic team, Porter seldomly played for Orlando, making just three appearances for the team.

Given how dark last year ended for Porter, it's remarkable to see that he's making an impact on a team one win away from a championship.

The best part of Porter's story is the unpredictability behind it. Even during the playoffs run, Porter hasn't always been on the floor. He didn't play in the Warriors' series-clinching games against the Memphis Grizzlies and the Dallas Mavericks due to injury, but that's unlikely to happen for the NBA Finals.

The Warriors trailed 2-1 in the series before Steve Kerr made the decision to start Porter over Kevon Looney. Since then, the Warriors have taken a 3-2 lead in the series, and though Porter has scored just four points in his two starts, this adjustment has proven crucial in the turnaround against the Boston Celtics.

So if the Warriors can win Game 6 or 7 in the Finals, Magic fans will have a tiny reason to celebrate.