Michael Porter Jr. gets honest about his future with the Nets and why his time in Denver had run its course: “My ceiling in Denver kind of plateaued” originally appeared on Basketball Network.
In the Nikola Jokic era, whenever the Denver Nuggets ran into even the smallest trouble, Michael Porter Jr. was often the scapegoat — sometimes fairly, sometimes not. A player once projected to be the No. 1 pick in the draft dropped all the way to 14th due to chronic back problems, where Denver took a gamble on him. He rewarded the franchise’s trust in his seven years in Colorado.
Advertisement
He was a key piece in winning the first-ever Larry O’Brien trophy in franchise history and finally proved he could string together multiple healthy seasons — something long held against him.
Over the last two seasons, he missed only four games and led all Nuggets starters in appearances. But this season, during a hustle play against the Los Angeles Clippers, he dove for a loose ball and dislocated his shoulder. He played and tried to give his best through the playoffs, but his numbers were a shadow of his usual self.
Aware of the team’s lack of depth, Josh Kroenke made a tough decision that broke the hearts of Nuggets fans by trading Porter Jr. to the Brooklyn Nets for Cameron Johnson, a player with a similar skillset. The news caught Porter off guard while he was on vacation.
“So, I’m really excited about this new chapter out here in Brooklyn,” he said. “I think over there in Denver my ceiling kind of plateaued. You know, we just have a way of playing — how Joker plays, how Jamal plays, that two-man game is very potent. That’s how we play and I’m so appreciative of the way we play. We ended up winning a championship, but I do feel like my ceiling in Denver kind of plateaued a little bit and I’m excited for this next chapter in Brooklyn for sure.”
Advertisement
“It’s crazy ‘cuz me and Cam are actually boys — we’re pretty cool — we’re even having’ talks of swapping homes. But anyways, Denver got a great player and I’m excited for him to finally be able to compete for a championship over there and I myself, I’m excited to expand my game and be able to do what I do,” MPJ concluded.
Johnson has a similar injury history like MPJ
By moving Porter’s contract, Denver addressed several concerns: they upgraded at his position, created a $16.8 million trade exception, dropped below the dreaded luxury tax (they’re now under the first apron), and unlocked a $14.1 million mid-level exception that doesn’t carry tax penalties. The Nets, in return, received a first-round draft pick and a veteran presence in Porter Jr.
However, all the injury concerns once aimed at MPJ now follow Johnson. Over the past three seasons, he’s missed a total of 91 games, and his career high is just 66 games played — four seasons ago. It’s a stat that often goes unnoticed.
Advertisement
While their skill sets are similar, there are some differences. Johnson has a better handle, an area where Porter often struggled, but MPJ is far better on the boards. Both are excellent 3-point shooters, and it’s worth noting that last season, Cam shot 40% on catch-and-shoot threes — something that should pair beautifully with Jokic’s playmaking.
The general opinion around the league is that Denver made the right move, mostly for financial reasons. Among those is Brian Scalabrine, who believes the Nuggets are now back in title contention.
“I think Cameron Johnson’s a better fit and he makes half the money,” said Scal. “All it cost them was a 2032 unprotected pick. If they’re still good in 2032 — which, who knows what 2032 looks like — they might pay the price for that. But in the meantime, that’s a championship roster right there, and they have a little bit of flexibility because their number is 185, which they’re underneath all those aprons. So they’ll have some room to do things.”
Porter Jr. deserves recognition
It’s impossible to predict how this season will unfold for the Nuggets, but Porter Jr. deserves praise. He’s been through it all in his career and is still only 27. He’s had three major back surgeries, one brother was involved in a fatal car accident, and another is suspended from the league for life due to gambling.
Advertisement
When he finally overcame all that adversity, he played the best season of his career — averaging 18.2 points and seven rebounds on 50.4% shooting and 39.5% from beyond the arc — only to suffer a an injury that may have derailed Denver’s title hopes. Considering they still pushed the eventual champion Oklahoma City Thunder to seven games with an hurt MPJ, it’s hard not to wonder what could’ve been.
On the other side, the Nuggets are optimistic heading into next season, where the health of Johnson and the rest of the roster will be key.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 10, 2025, where it first appeared.