EMERGENCY POD: Nets trade Cam Johnson to Nuggets for Michael Porter Jr. | Did Brooklyn win the deal?

EMERGENCY POD: Nets trade Cam Johnson to Nuggets for Michael Porter Jr. | Did Brooklyn win the deal?

coming up the Nets finally trade Cam Johnson and it’s a blockbuster move i’ll break down all aspects of the deal after this you are Locked on Nets your daily Brooklyn Nets podcast part of the Locked on Podcast Network your team every day welcome in to the Locked On Nets podcast right here on the Locked On Podcast Network it’s your team the Brooklyn Nets every single day i’m Eric Slater Brooklyn Nets beat reporter for clutchoints.com thank you for making me your first listen of the day this show is 100% free on all those great platforms today’s episode is brought to you by FanDuel right now new customers can get $200 in bonus bets when your first $5 bet wins and on today’s show it’s another emergency podcast my second of the week but this one a little bit more magnitude to it because the Brooklyn Nets just traded Cam Johnson to the Denver Nuggets for Michael Porter Jr and an unpredicted 2032 first round pick so obviously a blockbuster trade there on the first day of free agency for the Nets and they get rid of Cam Johnson their top player from this past season a guy who came over in that Kevin Durant trade from the Phoenix Suns and was sort of the last remnants of that deal and that kind of transitional period after the Nets moved off KD and Kyrie and we’re in that limbo phase now they’re going into the rebuild and this is really a signifier that this is a full rebuild i think we knew that with them making five first round picks in this draft but getting off CJ they’re all in on this and they’re really going you know for the rebuild at least for this past season and likely beyond but initial reactions to the deal I think it’s a good deal for the Nets i think it’s a win for both sides i think it’s a good deal for Brooklyn i think it’s a good deal for Denver obviously Denver looking to you know bolster their wing rotation get a little bit of a guy who’s a little bit more of a veteran presence and a playoff upgrade over Michael Porter Jr so they get that in Cam Johnson they get off Porter Jr salary and they pay a 20 32 first round pick and from the Net’s perspective CJ’s obviously a guy who has been a rumored trade guy for the last year you know ever since they moved off Male Bridges his twin and sent him to the New York Knicks got those first round picks back from the Houston Rockets and entered this rebuild he’s a guy for the last year a lot of people thought he was going to be traded last off season a lot of people thought he was going to be traded at the deadline and the Nets held on to him and you know I reported extensively on the trade you know rumbling surrounding CJ at the deadline and everything I had heard was that the Nets had a really steep asking price they weren’t making calls they were taking calls and they weren’t even really taking calls too seriously because the asking price was reportedly two first round picks that’s apparently what they wanted for CJ but they were intent you know they were content to keep him and now you know they do two things in this deal it’s we’ve obviously know that salary dumps are a route they’ve been going using their cap space so in this deal it is a salary dump taking on Michael Porter Jr’s contract but it’s also you know they’re getting a 2032 unprotected first round pick for CJ and I said you know they were asking for apparently for two first round picks at the trade deadline you might say you know they didn’t they got off of that they didn’t get two first round picks at the deadline and now they have to settle for one first round pick this first round pick is an unprotected 2032 pick from a Nuggets team where you have no idea what they’re going to be in that year so an unprotected pick that far out is the equivalent if not more than a lot of you know a lot of two first round pick packages that you’re going to get from other teams where they might be heavily protected they might be from teams who are going to be really good they might be you know in the near future from teams who are going to be playoff contenders in Denver’s case I mean in 2032 Nicole Joic is going to be 36 years old have no idea if he’s going to be playing at you know an elite level at that stage we don’t even know if he’s going to be playing in the NBA at that point there’s obviously a lot of rumblings you know people question Joic is a different kind of cat and people don’t even know how long he’s going to want to play in the NBA so we’re talking about you know seven years from now there’s a very good chance maybe Nicole Joic isn’t playing in the NBA anymore or he isn’t playing for the Nuggets and at that point who are the Nuggets you have no idea but they were willing to you know pay that unprotected 2032 first round pick in order to you know try to maximize the window now around Nicole Joic and the Nets having the cap space to take on Michael Porter Jr in this trade and you know know having an appetite obviously to get an asset like that 2032 first round pick they take it and I think it’s a good deal for the Nets is it you know an outstanding home run deal no like they didn’t get multiple first round picks for CJ but I think this is about as good of a pick and an asset as you’re going to get in this trade so that’s good business I think by the Nets i think it’s also good business by the Nuggets and when you look at Michael Porter Jr and what the salary situation with him him and CJ both have two years left on his contract on their contract but MPJ has significantly more money on his deal he is under contract for 38 million next season and then 41 million in 2026 27 cj’s at 21 million this season and 23 million so the Nets add you know a significant amount of a chunk of money to their books um this season and next but with the amount of cash space they have with the amount of financial flexibility they have this is what affords them you know the ability to do that this is why we talked about you know CJ I said obviously being speculated as a trade guy for how you know over the last year also last season with you know with the Nets trading Dennis Shruder and Dorian Finny Smith a little bit later than people expected why did Shawn Marks trade them later and hold on to them because he was prioritizing getting back expiring contracts in those deals he did that in the Dennis Schroeder trade brought back the Anthony Meltton expiring in the DFS trade brought back uh DLO D’Angelo Russell’s expiring and that you know allowed them to get this cap space and maintain that cap flexibility this season and into the future this offseason and into the future and with that that allowed them to make the deal with the Atlanta Hawks where they got Terrence Mann in the number 22 pick which they used on Drake Pal and also it allows them to have additional even more cap space to take on a guy like MPJ and get a 2032 unprotected first round pick which is a really good asset and the Nets are just loaded from a draft perspective right now this is really them you know they lead the NBA in first round picks over the next seven years tradable first round picks all that but they’re also they have picks in the short term the medium-term and the long term some of which are protected some of which are unprotected so they’re really diversifying their pick stash and this is a pick that you know people are going to say some fans might say you know this is forever from now 2032 like uh like what are we going to draft in 2032 this is a third grader or whatever but that’s a valuable pick down the line it’s also that value that it has could be impactful in trade negotiations if the Nets are to try to package this and expedite their timeline anytime between now and between 2032 and that pick the closer you get it could grow in value you don’t know what’s going to happen so it’s a good asset i think it’s as as good of an asset as the Nets are going to get in a trade for Cam Johnson and then they also get Michael Porter Jr and there’s obviously a question of what he’s going to be with the Nets in the short term what his contract could mean for them so I’ll get into all that you know break down every aspect of Michael Porter Jr after a quick break the MLB season is heating up and every game brings clutch hits standout pitching and unforgettable moments from walk-off homers to no hitters in the making there’s no shortage of drama on the diamond and no better time to get in on the action fanduel makes it easy to stay in the game before tip off and live with player props performance trends and same game parlays fans have more ways than ever to play smart and win big look guys maybe you’re watching the Yankees aaron Judge and the Bronx Bombers are just on a tear offensively you could combine prop bets from multiple hitters if you get a read on who’s heating up why not back it up with a same game parlay new to FanDuel it’s the perfect time to sign up head to FanDuel.com and place your first $5 bet if it wins you’ll get $200 in bonus bets make every moment more with FanDuel official sports betting partner of the NBA coming back from the break on today’s locked on Nets episode this emergency podcast after the Nets traded Cam Johnson to the Denver Nuggets for Michael Porter Jr and an unprotected 2032 first round pick i outlined why I thought this was a good deal for the Nets you know focusing on that 2032 unprotected first round pick and the quality of the asset that is you know the best asset I think that they were going to get back in a Cam Johnson trade now talking about Michael Porter Jr I outlined on the previous segment it’s under contract for the next two seasons at about uh $79 million total 38 this year 41 next season and when you look at Michael Porter Jr the kind of player he is he’s obviously a good player you know from a skill set standpoint from a talent standpoint i think people would say he’s just as good if not better in from to Cam Johnson you know from that perspective but some of the intangibles some of the you know fitting into the role knowing what you want to do some of the IQ stuff the veteran stuff that I said Denver was probably looking for clearly Cam Johnson is ahead of him in some of those regards and that’s why Denver was willing to you know pay that pick to get Cam Johnson and to get off Michael Porter Jr.’s contract to send him to the Nets but you know MG MPJ is not a bad player by any stretch of the imagination he’s a guy with great size near 610 obviously 40% three-point shooter on high volume for his career you know has some on the ball juice and some of that stuff and he’s a player who you know with this contract two years 79 million left on this deal as I said am is he a guy that I think is going to play himself into being a positive value asset for the Nets over the next two years i don’t think so but he is a guy who I think you know might not have extreme negative value if he’s able to round out you know if he’s able to improve on some of the things that he was struggling with with the Nuggets and maybe even flash some other things that he wasn’t able to do while playing there with Denver and being in more of a complimentary role so you know is it a positive asset contract obviously not based on what Denver just did with him do I think he can play it into being you know not so much of a negative contract yes and you also can’t dis discount the fact that MPJ could be a guy that the Nets are you know going to build into the future with and maybe they see him as a guy who they like obviously Jordi Fernandez coached him when he was with Denver he’s familiar with him from a skill set and from a personality standpoint so that can’t be discounted uh Ramona Shelurn reported right after news of this deal broke that the Nets are intent on keeping Michael Porter Jr they are said to like him so you can take that however you will you’re obviously going to say that about a lot of guys when you’re bringing them in in a trade and they’re going to be in your building in a day or two but he’s a guy who you can’t at because of the age he’s 27 years old cam Johnson 29 years old with him being two years younger and you could argue having some more upside than Cam Johnson from a skill set perspective and also just being younger and fitting the timeline a little bit better he’s a guy that they could build into the future with now if that isn’t the case he’s also a guy where you don’t necessarily have to worry too much about the value of his contract and whether it’s going to be such a negative asset because it’s going to be expiring next season so in essence this trade this contract can be you know a $41 million trade exception next season where the Nets can use that in a variety of ways we all know the Nets have had some ex appetite to go big game hunting and to you know go after a star in the near future if they tank this season they get whatever pick they get in the draft and they’re looking to push the timeline forward the season after this coming season you have MPJ under contract for $41 million and that’s a contract where the team that’s getting him it’s an expiring they could clear their books using it you know it resets their books they could look to resign him and bring him back on a a better value deal or whatever along those lines but it’s a deal that you don’t necessarily have to worry so much about the value of it whether it’s negative or positive because when it’s an expiring deal it might be a little bit easier to move off of that as opposed to it having multiple years left on it so those are some of the ways you can look at Michael Porter Jr as a guy maybe the Nets could potentially move forward with but also a contract that you know with it being inspiring after this coming season it really could be you know somewhat of an asset for them in that regard and when you look at you know the Nets this coming season they’re they’re able to take on this contract you know in the big number that it is and not really worry about it because there’s obviously going to be tanking they’re going to be in a rebuild this coming year and how does MPJ fit into that some fans might have some concerns about you know him hurting the tank and oh if we’re going to move off CJ maybe we they’d want to get you know a player who’s worse and has less capabilities than him but I would say that I don’t think you know Michael Porter Jr While I think he has you know a better skill set or he’s more talented than s than Cam Johnson in a lot of regards I don’t think he’s a guy who’s necessarily going to hurt the tank much more than Cam Johnson and I do think that he offers you know spacing and some of the things and you know some of the aspects that we’d want around the young ball handlers that the Nets just brought in so he’s a guy who I think is going to play with the Nets this season obviously he’s going to be a starter he’s going to have a really heavy offensive role but is he a guy that’s necessarily going to carry them to a ton more wins than you know you would have thought before it’s not impossible but I don’t think you know it’s necessarily the most likely outcome also I think the Nets are willing to take that chance and just figure it out later because they got a 2032 you know unprotected first round pick from the Nuggets in this deal so MPJ a guy the Nets could build forward with and they could look to keep him they could be high on him based on that Jordan Fernandez connection he could also be a guy whose contract being expiring in 2026 27 affords them some flexibility and you know how they’re potentially maybe going to go after stars or how they look to build this out with trades moving forward so Shawn Marks gets another salary dump in this deal obviously it’s something that he’s been extremely adept in doing throughout his time managing this team when he came in in 2016 and rebuilt the team the first time around he executed those salary dumps with you know getting a first round pick alongside Deari Carol getting D’Angelo Russell from the Lakers uh in return for Brook Lopez with Timothy Mosgov’s contract coming alongside DLO also executed some other of those moves and now when you look at what the Nets have done from a salary dump perspective this year they get Terrence man and Michael Porter Jr they send out Cam Johnson and they get two first round picks one of which turned into Drake Pal and one of which is very valuable or could be very valuable as an unprotected 2032 pick from a Nuggets team who you have no idea what they’re going to be that far out so going to take one more quick break and when I come back going to talk about what could potentially be next for the Nets after this blockbuster trade involving Cam Johnson coming back from the break closing out today’s Locked on Nets episode this emergency podcast edition talking about Cam Johnson and the trade sending him to the Denver Nuggets for Michael Porter Jr and an unprotected 2032 first round pick and you know the Nets finally did it with Cam Johnson i’m I’m not completely surprised they always thought there was a possibility that the Nets were going to trade Cam Johnson but when Shawn Mark spoke at the exit interview I asked him about the possibility of trading Cam Johnson and he said that the Nets were extremely high on him from you know a leadership standpoint obviously from what he brought uh to the court from an encore standpoint and also he said they were in no rush to move off of guys like that so obviously anything an executive says you have to take it with a grain of salt and there’s always a possibility that guys can still get moved when executives say stuff like that but I do believe that and I do know that the Nets were extremely high on Cam Johnson especially from a leadership perspective and what he brought to that locker room sean told me you know he wanted Cam to step into more of a leadership role and now I think the unprotected 23 2032 first round pick was enough for the Nets to move off of that and you know it is it’s not surprising to me but there is a little bit of that veteran leadership you know void here now when you trade away a guy like Cam Johnson i spoke about it on a prior podcast and the reasons why the Nets potentially wouldn’t trade him is the leadership they brought in five first round picks they’re going to have five rookies coming in with Jagor Deon Drake Pal Nolan Trayor Ben Saraf and Danny Wolf no team has ever had a first round class coming in like that in the history of the NBA so you’re going to want some veteran leadership you know on a team when that’s the case and I thought that could potentially be a reason obviously the Nets did would not look to move off of Cam Johnson based off of Shawn Marx’s comments but they get that 2032 first round pick and this is a deal where if you got this offer I don’t think the Nets could turn it down and now you look at the vets who are the guys on this team where really those veteran presence you know you have Nick Claxton only 26 years old though I wouldn’t necessarily consider him like a seasoned veteran you have Terrence Man a similar age 28 you have Michael Porter Jr 27 all these guys have been in the league for a while but I wouldn’t consider them seasoned veterans so could they could the Nets look to bring in another guy um you know via free agency could there be another guy coming in in another salary dump it’s certainly a possibility you look at their cap situation after this deal they still have over $17 million in cap space left so they have more flexibility to you know sign whether it be a veteran guy on the free agent market whether they bring in a buyout guy there is more flexibility for added moves there um so you could see another move from the Nets here i don’t think they’re done they have to spend more cap space to get to that salary floor so there’s going to be more moves here but you know from the veteran veteran leadership standpoint it is lacking a little bit like you don’t have that one season vet that one guy who is the Cam Johnson or whoever and you know I think some fans will say that doesn’t matter we’re tanking next season all this but there is a value in that um when you talk about guys you know who have come up in the league and you know young rookies who have come up and become successful players down the line a lot of the time they talk about the guys you know in their first few seasons who were their vets if you talk about these guys who are coming in next season particularly a guy like Jaggore Deon some of the you know the first lottery pick the Nets have made since 2010 who’s going to be his vet is it Nick Claxton is it Terrence Man is it Michael Porter Jr it could be but those guys aren’t echo season veterans so there’s definitely something to look out for there with potentially more moves and staying on the topic of potential moves in the fallout from this what could come next obviously I just said 17 million in cap space they have to spend cap space so another salary dump an option a veteran in the free agent market maybe they take a swing on a younger guy that’s also an option nick Claxton another guy who’s a veteran could have some trade value could the Could a team like the Los Angeles Lakers potentially be interested in him that’s something to look out for i said the Phoenix Suns were a team that had been linked to him but they got Kaman Malawatch in uh the draft so the Lakers still need a center deandre Aiden just got bought out maybe he could be a target for them but also with the Nets moving off of uh Cam Johnson they’re really into a rebuild situation there and you know could there be a Nick Claxon deal on the horizon it’s definitely a possibility the Nets just resigned Dron Sharp to a two two-year $12 million contract so they have Dron locked down for the next two seasons at a minimum and that could make Claction expendable especially if the right offer comes along so if the Lakers come along and they’re offering you know that 2031 first round pick maybe a 2030 swap in salary fillers could that be something that the Nets consider i definitely think it would be is it is it the best deal to make i’ve outlined that on prior pods it might not be but it depends on you know a variety of factors and how you’re viewing Claxton in the Net situation but just closing this out talking about the Net situation and where they find themselves now for next season they have these five rookies coming in uh Jaor Deon and Nolan Trorei obviously going to be guys who have the ball in their hands a lot there’s not been a deal yet with Cam Thomas but I would suspect that they’re going to agree to something with him soon so you’re looking at you know if you’re looking at the core of what the team is right now you have Cam Thomas you have Michael Porter Jr you have Nick Claxton uh you have Dron Sharp you have Terrence Man who came in you have some of these all these rookies obviously but it’s not a team that I would expect to be very good but if you look at where they are from an asset standpoint they’re loaded and then they’re also going to have the ability to tank next season and try to pick up another another draft pick in a loaded 2026 draft that features three studs at the top of the draft and AJ Deansa Darren Peterson and Cam Boozer so this shakes up what the Nets are going to look like next year but I think it is a signal obviously that they’re going towards the full rebuild they’re committing to this at least for next season and probably beyond that so for a lot of Nets fans that might be frustrating for a lot of Nets fans I think a lot more Nets fans would say it’s exciting because of the opportunity and the Nets really committing to a full rebuild and a build through the draft model they really haven’t you know in however long and Cam Johnson being kind of the last remnants of that holdover period after Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving departed he’s out the door now and the Nets are heading in a new direction and there’s going to be a lot to break down you know this has been a crazy week for the Nets and there’s only going to be more moves moving forward I think with the Cam Thomas extension still needs to come in there’s still obviously salary dumps and other free agent moves that could come in so off coverage of all that and more here on Locked on Nets but that does it for this emergency podcast today’s episode thank you for tuning in and supporting the show be sure to subscribe to Locked on Nets on YouTube and wherever you get your podcast whether Apple Podcast or Spotify be sure to like this comment let me know what you think of the trade to like it if you enjoyed the content anything you could do to engage is much appreciated but I’ll be back tomorrow talking more Brooklyn Nets basketball

Erik Slater reacts to the Brooklyn Nets’ blockbuster trade sending Cam Johnson to the Denver Nuggets for Michael Porter Jr. and an unprotected 2032 first-round pick. He analyzes what went into the deal and what could be next for the Nets.

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