Report: Nets, Nuggets Quietly Negotiated Johnson-Porter Jr. Trade for 'Weeks'

Per Jake Fischer, Brooklyn and Denver worked behind the scenes for weeks before finalizing their recent deal.

May 11, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. (1) gestures to referee Tyler Ford in the second quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder during game four of the second round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

On Monday, the Brooklyn Nets made their biggest transaction of the 2025 NBA Offseason thus far.

Less than a week after breaking the league record for most first-round picks used by a single franchise, the Nets finally moved Cam Johnson after nearly a year's worth of rumors suggesting they'd do so.

Brooklyn sent Johnson—acquired in 2023's Kevin Durant swap—to the Denver Nuggets in exchange for Michael Porter Jr. and a 2032 unprotected first-round pick. The deal reunited Porter with head coach Jordi Fernandez, whom he played four years under in Denver from 2018-22.

In wake of the trade, a report has come out that this move had been discussed for quite some time.

On The Stein Line, league insider Jake Fischer provided insight into how the forward exchange came together.

"I'm told Denver and Brooklyn quietly worked on this deal for several weeks before fine-tuning the framework on Monday," Fischer wrote.

One may scoff at the report due to how simple the deal ended up being, but Monday wasn't the first time Porter's name was connected to the Nets.

Back in December, Forbes' Evan Sidery took to X to reveal that Brooklyn and Denver had "exploratory" talks centered around Porter, sending Johnson and potentially former Nets Dorian Finney-Smith or Bojan Bogdanovic back to the Nuggets.

Obviously, Finney-Smith eventually landed in Los Angeles with the Lakers, and Bogdanovic recently retired after being waived last season. But, the talks were still had, even though the deal didn't come together until nearly seven months later.

It seemed like only a matter of time before Johnson was dealt, although many expected he'd be used to allow Brooklyn to add a second lottery pick in June 25's draft. The Nets instead took on Terance Mann's contract from the Atlanta Hawks, gaining pick 22 (UNC's Drake Powell) in the process.

So, what does Fischer's report really mean?

It may be one of two things: either the Nets wanted more than they eventually settled for, or the Nuggets were hesitant to include Porter in a trade for the sharpshooting Johnson.

Regardless of why things played out the way they did, Porter joins a Brooklyn roster where he can excel as an offensive alpha, and Johnson gets to compete for a title alongside Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray.

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