Nets Send Michael Porter Jr. to Kings in Mock Trade

The Brooklyn Nets have their eyes on the future, as their rookies have been getting more and more playing time.

The team still has some productive veterans who can get them win games now but still lacks a true No. 1 option who can truly will this team to victory even under less than ideal circumstances.

Considering that, the Nets could be active on the trade market and help facilitate a three-team trade between the Los Angeles Clippers and Sacramento Kings, Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report writes.

Clippers get:

DeMar DeRozan (from Kings)
Keon Ellis (from Kings)
Jalen Wilson (from Nets)
$8.75 million trade exception (Brook Lopez)

Kings get:

Michael Porter Jr. (from Nets)
Kobe Brown (from Clippers)
$2.3 million trade exception (Keon Ellis)

Nets get:

Dennis Schröder (from Kings)
Brook Lopez (from Clippers)
Bogdan Bogdanović (from Clippers)
Yanic Konan Niederhauser (from Clippers)
2030 protected first-round pick (from Clippers)

Notes: The trade would need to wait until at least December 15, when restrictions on Schröder and Lopez lift. The Clippers' 2030 first-round pick would have lottery protection in 2030, followed by top-5 in 2031, otherwise conveying as second-rounders in 2031 and 2032.

Porter is playing some of the best basketball of his career, averaging 24.3 points per game on 48.3% shooting. However, the Nets haven't been winning too many games with him leading the way, so it might be best served for the organization to deal him while they can still get some value in return.

The main asset the Nets would be getting back in this proposal is the Clippers' pick in 2030, though there's a solid chance that pick won't even convey because of how bleak the Clippers' future looks.

The next best hope for the Nets would be for that pick to land outside the top five in 2031, though the Nets wouldn't even be guaranteed to land a difference making star in that scenario.

Nets fans would likely love having Lopez return to Brooklyn, perhaps giving the franchise's all time leading scorer the opportunity to finish his career where it all started.

Schröder also had a nice, but short stint in Brooklyn, though the Nets had to trade him quickly before he helped the team win too many more games.

All things considered, this deal likely wouldn't give the Nets what they're looking for in return for Porter.

Porter has been scoring the ball at a high rate, and there may be contenders out there willing to give the Nets better assets to acquire the 2023 NBA champion.