What to Make of Nets' Michael Porter Jr. Trade Rumors

Michael Porter Jr.'s name has seemingly been in trade rumors before his plane even had a chance to catch his flight to one of the biggest cities in the world.

A bad shoulder severely impacted Porter's jumper during the Denver Nuggets' seven-game series loss to the eventual champion Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2025 Western Conference semifinals, which helped accelerate the Nuggets' decision to trade him to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Cameron Johnson, attaching a 2032 first-round pick to sweeten the deal.

With multiple surgeries to his back and a perceived lack of focus on the court, the 27-year-old's place in the NBA was in question.

The widely speculated idea for Brooklyn was to hope Porter can play just well enough to entice a championship-contending team to part with maybe one more first-round pick to land the 6-foot-10 scorer in a push for a championship, adding to Nets GM Sean Marks' growing collection of many desirable assets.

However, Porter has rebuilt the narrative around himself due to his drastically improved scoring numbers and ability to put the ball in the hoop through off-ball actions while becoming a trusted voice in the locker room.

All of a sudden, the Nets seem to be in a dilemma of where to go. On one hand, The Athletic's John Hollinger reported that Porter is a "lock to move by the deadline." On the other hand, HoopsHype's Michael Scotto shared with YES Network's Justin Shackill that Nets fans should “temper expectations” regarding a Porter trade due to the franchise's desire "to take a step forward" next season.

HoopsHype Sr. NBA Insider, @MikeAScotto, met up with @JustinShackil to discuss the latest on where things stand with the Nets prior to the trade deadline.

Watch and Stream #NETSonYES LIVE: https://t.co/sWMqNZ0P1Q pic.twitter.com/M3Cr3IOupO
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) January 11, 2026

NBA insider Marc Stein shared a similar sentiment, saying, "I have to share that I keep hearing pushback about the Nets’ willingness to part with Porter before the offseason. So I’m genuinely struggling to call it with 25 days to go before the trade buzzer.”

Based on what's being reported, Brooklyn appears more inclined to hold onto its leading scorer through the trade deadline, especially given the comments that have come from Nets coach Jordi Fernandez.

Fernandez has praised Porter's ability to be effective without the ball in his hands and put up points in bunches without setting him up for actions in isolation, where he has to dribble the ball out of his hands.

Porter has also complimented the Nets' organization for how they treat players, proving how comfortable he is with his new setup.