Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. was not on the court during an overtime win for his team against the New Orleans Pelicans.
Porter had just 8 points while shooting 2-of-8 with the worst plus-minus of anyone who played for the Nuggets yesterday. He checked out of the game in the third quarter and did not return despite the battle heading into overtime.
These things happen over the course of an 82-game season, and Porter just simply did not have it going on Sunday. Denver head coach Michael Malone clearly noticed this and decided to play those in his rotation who would bring more life to the court.
The Nuggets have serious issues right now. This Pelicans offense has not been good, a big reason they've lost 15 of 16. But look how easily Trey Murphy disposes of a flat-footed Michael Porter Jr forcing Nikola Jokic to step into an ill-fated 1v2.pic.twitter.com/l9J1EjJhXN
— Hot Hand Theory (@HotHandTheory) December 23, 2024
But the timing of the poor performance is particularly notable considering that Porter has found his name in trade rumors for the Nuggets recently.
The conversation began after an article from The Athletic linked Chicago’s Zach LaVine as a potential fit for Denver. For such a trade to happen, the Nuggets would have to include Porter’s salary.
According to the report, while the organization has discussed a possible extension for Porter, there was also talk of potentially including him in a deal for Paul George this past offseason.
Naturally, this led other reporters to look into the availability of Porter as well. Here is more from Marc Stein and Jake Fischer (via Substack):
“League sources say that the Nuggets have indeed weighed whether to trade away Michael Porter Jr.
What began with the Nuggets exploring the feasibility of trading Porter for Paul George this past summer, before George bolted Clipperland for Philadelphia in free agency, has expanded to internal discussions this season, sources say, about whether such a step has to be considered even more strongly now.”
This report speculated that perhaps Denver would prefer to move Porter for “two starting-caliber players” rather than one notable name like LaVine.
Possible combinations include Bogdan Bogdanovic and De’Andre Hunter from the Hawks or Cameron Johnson and Dorrian Finney-Smith from the Nets.
Porter is 6-foot-10 and has shot above 40.0 percent from beyond the arc in his NBA career.
The list of players his height who shoot with his accuracy at his volume is an impressive group.
Still only 26 years old, while he has no All-Star appearances yet, there is still a lot to like about Porter. He has room to improve his consistency, and for the Nuggets, they may prefer to have depth in their rotation.
But no matter what, the timing of him getting benched in a close game while also amidst trade rumors is a situation that is worth monitoring for Porter and his potential suitors.
