Michael Porter Jr.'s Hot Stretch Could Help Nets Find Trade Partner

Brooklyn has seen the best of Michael Porter Jr. this season, and it could pay off for the Nets.

Coming into this season, the Nets knew that taking on Porter was a bit of a risk, but it was one worth taking, given the unprotected pick Denver attached in the Cam Johnson swap. However, there was also always a chance that Brooklyn would win the trade if Porter could simply showcase the potential most around the league had wondered about for years.

Playing alongside guys like Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, Porter typically had the green light on catch-and-shoot threes, but he wasn’t always afforded the same luxury when trying to create for himself. After being dealt to Brooklyn, it was clear that Jordi Fernandez wouldn’t have any issues with Porter creating for himself, especially given that he and Thomas were the only real creators with NBA experience.

Now a month into his Brooklyn tenure, Porter has been able to showcase his talents at a high level. Although losing Thomas for significant time due to injury could have gone a few different ways, Porter has taken his game to another level in that stretch.

After a bit of a rocky start to the season, Porter has found his stride since Thomas’ injury, scoring at least 20 points in all seven games in that stretch. Across those seven games, Porter is averaging 27 points, 7.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists.

Although his numbers aren’t necessarily leading to wins, the Nets have had some tight games in that stretch, which has actually featured both of Brooklyn’s wins. Those two wins against Indiana and Washington also feature Porter’s only two 30-point performances of the season.

Now that teams have seen that Porter can put the ball in the basket at a high level when given the opportunity and have already seen his ability to scale back effectively for a contender, Porter’s trade value should be as high as ever moving forward. While the two years and $79 million on his contract could still make a deal difficult, there’s a case to be made that he’s proven he can have $40 million per year type of production, at least in the short term.

While only time will tell if Porter’s impressive play will lead to a trade or what the Nets would get back in a trade, the former Nugget’s hot streak is only helping Brooklyn.