No team in the NBA appears farther away from winning a championship than the Brooklyn Nets, especially if a new report about Michael Porter Jr. is true. Porter Jr. has been on the trade block seemingly since he was acquired by the Nets from the Denver Nuggets.
That's despite him averaging a career-high 24.2 points per game last season. According to Erik Slater of the Locked On Nets podcast and Brian Lewis of the New York Post, he could very well be moved by the February trade deadline.
On one hand, it's understandable considering he's their best player and is on an expiring contract. After all, contending teams would likely be lining up to acquire him. Especially if Brooklyn is willing to take back bad contracts in return for Porter Jr.
Nets insider confirms worst-kept secret about Michael Porter Jr.
On the other hand, Brooklyn doesn't have any incentive to tank next season with the NBA changing the lottery odds. In fact, keeping Porter Jr. could actually increase their chances of the high lottery pick next season.
It's a bit of a catch-22 for the Nets and would largely depend on what they can get for Porter Jr. If they're able to get a couple of first-round picks in exchange for Porter Jr., then it would be a no-brainer to move him.
However, given that he is on an expiring contract, they will likely have to agree to take back bad contracts to entice a team to give up multiple first-round picks. That wouldn't be the end of the world considering they aren't expected to be a playoff team anytime soon.
The Brooklyn Nets are stuck in an extended rebuild
Aside from Porter Jr., the Nets don't have much going for them. Sure, they drafted Mikel Brown Jr. sixth in the 2026 NBA Draft, but he doesn't necessarily project to be a star, at least not in the near future.
Even their five first-round selections from the 2025 NBA Draft haven't produced a legit building block. That leaves the Nets in a bind. At least under the old NBA lottery rules, they could be bad and have a reasonable chance at a high lottery pick.
Instead, they have to be good enough not to be one of the three-worst teams in the NBA and bad enough to be in the four-to-11 range. The Nets, at least on paper, project to be one of the three worst teams in the NBA.
They will have to weigh whether it's worth trading Porter Jr. if it means they may not win enough games to avoid having their pick fall to the back end of the lottery. Porter Jr.'s play will ultimately dictate that.
