Why the Nets Should Keep Michael Porter Jr. Past the Trade Deadline

After a poor start to the season, the Brooklyn Nets have looked like a team that could very well end up in contention for one of the final play-in spots.

Brooklyn's turnaround is in large part due to Michael Porter Jr.'s transformation into a perennial 25-point-per-game scorer on efficient shooting numbers, with the Nets' poor record being the only real reason to keep him out of the All-Star Game.

At full strength, the Nets aren’t bad enough to compete for the best odds to secure a top-three draft pick, but not quite strong enough to win a playoff series.

The Nets could trade Porter to boost their chances of a top-four draft pick and acquire additional first-round selections, but that may not be the smartest move.

Porter has shown incredible maturity and emotional intelligence since rocking Brooklyn across his chest, scoring the ball at a high level without dominating touches while getting himself free via screen actions inside the paint or behind the arc.

The Missouri product has already sacrificed his game for the betterment of his team at least once before, helping the Denver Nuggets win a championship in 2023. Though he acknowledged it can be tough, it doesn't seem like he'd have a problem doing it again.

"It’s tough as a player when you know what you can do and you are asked to do something different and then people criticize you for it," Porter said. "That can be tough. But it's part of the NBA, it's part of being adaptable, and it's part of being on a really good team for a lot of years. You just got to accept your role and do what the coach asks in whatever situation you're in.”

Porter has also spoken highly of Nets coach Jordi Fernandez and the entire Nets organization for its belief in its players, showing he believes in the longterm culture of this franchise.

Brooklyn's cap space and collection of first-round draft picks give them a ton of flexibility on how to operate moving forward, but it's important to note that the Nets don't have full control of their first-round pick in 2027.

Considering tanking isn't a realistic possibility next season and Porter's commitment to the team, the Nets' best move might be to keep MPJ past the trade deadline and eventually use their cache of first-round draft picks to pair him up with another superstar.