The opening day of NBA free agency felt a little quieter than usual, in part because the big deals happened early — Kevin Durant traded to Houston, Desmond Bane to Orlando —or they didn’t happen at all (hello, Giannis).
Still, there was one trade of note, with the Denver Nuggets parting ways with a core part of their title run, Michael Porter Jr. Let’s break down the winners and losers from the one big move of the day, starting with the details of the trade itself.
Brooklyn receives: Michael Porter Jr., 2032 unprotected first-round pick
Denver receives: Cameron Johnson
WINNER: Denver Nuggets
This was a brilliant bit of front office work by Denver — textbook smart roster construction.
Let’s start here: Cameron Johnson is better than Michael Porter Jr.
Even if you think their offensive production is similar (we can debate that), Johnson is a much better defender and is a smart player. Both are good 3-point shooters (MPJ 39.5% last season, Johnson 39%), Johnson gets to the line more and is a better playmaker for others, Porter is the better rebounder. The real key is that Johnson is a much better defender, which is a huge boost for Denver, and playing him at the three next to Aaron Gordon is a significant advantage.
What makes this trade such a win for Denver: Both Porter Jr. and Johnson have two years left on their contracts, but Johnson makes $34 million less in those two years.
Even if you call swapping Johnson for Porter a wash — or anything close to that — then saving $17 million a season to spread around to others and bring in depth (like the return of Bruce Brown) is a big win for the Nuggets. Denver now has access to the mid-level exception again. It also keeps the Nuggets out of the second apron of the luxury tax, freeing up other possible moves to add depth.
Denver just saved a lot of money and probably improved, which is the definition of a win. They did give up what could be a very valuable pick in seven years, but when you have Nikola Jokic, you try to win now and worry about the rest later.
WINNER: Cameron Johnson
Johnson is a player a lot of other front offices have coveted, believing that if they got him in a system with better spacing playing off a high-level shot creator, he would thrive.
Welcome to playing in Denver with Nikola Jokic.
Johnson is a defensive upgrade for the Nuggets and a high-level 3-point shooter who plays a smart game. He’s a guy not enough fans (especially casual fans) have seen, but that is about to change. Johnson averaged 18.2 points a game on 39% shooting from 3 last season, and he is about to get cleaner looks and better opportunities to drive and make plays than he has ever had before. He is going to come out a winner here.
LOSER: Michael Porter Jr.
Porter Jr. is not a big loser here, but he’s going from a title contender in Denver to a rebuilding team in Brooklyn, and that’s going to be a big change. It’s an adjustment.
Here’s where Porter Jr. can prove me wrong and turn this into a big win: He is an incredibly talented offensive player about to go to an all-you-can-eat buffet of shots. If he’s consistent, if he’s focused, if he stays healthy, he could be one of the top five scorers in the league this year — and with that, improve his reputation around the league.
The Nets say they are keeping him. MPJ is going to get his chance, we’ll see what he does with it.
WINNER: Brooklyn Nets
This is how you use cap space to rebuild: Take a player into that cap space to get a very valuable asset. In 2032, Jokic will be 37, and there’s a reasonable chance he is living in Serbia as a full-time horse trainer by then. Whatever happens, it’s a good bet that the Nuggets will not be the same team, a consistent top-four team in the West, and that pick could be very valuable.
It’s also possible that they can flip Porter Jr. — maybe the version of him who has improved his reputation around the league — for more assets later. Again, this is how you rebuild, get as many bites at the apple as you can.
POSSIBLE WINNER: Christian Braun
Denver has a lot more room under the tax aprons and a lot more money to spend. Christian Braun is entering the final year of his current contract, which is worth $4.9 million, and he is due a substantial raise.
It’s not hard to connect the dots here. We’ll see where things land, but Braun could cash in off this trade.
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