Michael Porter Jr. was an easy scapegoat when the Denver Nuggets had bad moments over the last three years. He was getting paid the same amount of money as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to be the third or fourth option on offense for Denver, and when he was struggling to knock down 3-pointers, people were quick to critique him.

The 6-foot-10 sharpshooter was always a bit of a defensive liability because the three back surgeries he underwent hindered his lateral quickness, and there were some nights where he was invisible on the floor. If he wasn’t making almost $40 million a year, the negative comments likely wouldn’t have been as frequent, but in today’s NBA where the salary cap is as strict as ever, max contract players have to play up to their salary.

At the same time, he put his body on the line for the Nuggets every year. It would’ve been easy for him to pack things up and call it a career after the third back surgery. It would’ve been easy for him to sit out the rest of the 2025 playoffs after he suffered a sprained AC joint in his left shoulder (which he did by diving for a loose ball late in Game 2 of the first round). That was one of his final moments as a Nugget, as the team traded him in a blockbuster back in July in exchange for Cam Johnson from the Brooklyn Nets.

‘WE’RE GONNA MISS MICHAEL’

Nuggets head coach David Adelman went out of his at Nuggets Media Day to praise what Porter did for the Nuggets over the years.

“For Michael Porter, man, Michael Porter won a championship here, and trading him was good for us financially, [we] got a good player back, all those things, flexibility. Mike was incredible for us,” Adelman said at Nuggets Media Day on Monday. “Over the years he spent here, what he went through with his body, what he gave to the city of Denver, and what he’s given to social media right now is something. We’re gonna miss Michael. We’re gonna miss the uniqueness of him.”

Did MPJ have some lowlights in the playoffs? Yes, but they don’t reach the mountaintop without him in 2023. He’s had multiple memorable playoff performances in the Mile High City and he was a top-five 3-point shooter in the league on two separate occasions. He shot over 39.5% in all five of the full seasons he played with the Nuggets and averaged over 16 points per game in his final three years here. He was important to the team’s success, and if anyone knows that, it’s Adelman, who made sure to praise him publicly.

PORTER’S INTERESTING SUMMER

The Nuggets newest head coach also made sure to get some chuckles from the media members in the room when he mentioned what Porter has been doing with his podcasts this summer. For those who haven’t seen, he’s been making a handful of normal comments about basketball life and the differences between the Nets and the Nuggets, but those have been sprinkled in amongst an overwhelming amount of wild comments.

The Nuggets did something right during his time in Denver, as he wasn’t making any out-of-pocket statements before he got traded. Ever since he’s been under the Nets’ umbrella, the comments have been flying. Whether it’s been on his podcast, “Curious Mike,” or as a guest on other people’s shows, Porter has been saying some things that have caused some ex-fans to turn a cold shoulder to him.

Still, he was important on the court for Denver, and will surely be for Brooklyn. The off-court comments he’s made are one thing, but Adelman and the rest of the Nuggets’ brass knows what he brings to the table from a basketball perspective, and appreciate that.

These comments from Adelman were unprompted. No one asked him to talk about his former sharpshooter, he spoke up and made sure to express his appreciation for Porter and what he did for the team over the years. That speaks a lot about who Adelman is as a person, and as a coach.