Following a career-high scoring season, Mark Bartelstein details why Brooklyn’s offensive freedom revitalized Michael Porter Jr. as the two sides navigate high-stakes negotiations for a long-term extension.
Michael Porter Jr.'s agent, Mark Bartelstein, is fond of the Brooklyn Nets, believing the team is a great fit for his client after having a career season.
Brooklyn values the 6-foot-10 forward, too, seeing as general manager Sean Marks is working to find an extension middle ground to keep Porter in a Nets uniform.
"Sean and I have talked," Bartelstein said during an appearance on SiriusXM NBA Radio with Justin Termine and former NBA player Eddie Johnson. "Michael loves it in Brooklyn. Jordi [Fernández] has been great for him. I think Jordi has been so innovative in how he's used Michael. I think it's a great fit."
Fernández let the 28-year-old initiate offense more often, something he didn't do much with the Denver Nuggets. It led to Porter averaging a career-high 24.2 points on 46.3% from the field.
He used simple and effective dribble moves to create space for his pull-up jumpers. The between-the-legs dribble into a crossover was his go-to move, and defenders couldn't contain him because his release point was higher than most.
Porter also posted a career-high 30% usage, eclipsing his second-highest (22.7%) during the 2022-23 season. Multiple role players, like former Net Mikal Bridges, have seen their usage rise because Brooklyn rarely had dominant ball-handlers on the team.
Denver had three-time MVP Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray as the initiators, so Porter thrived in off-ball actions. He was an elite three-point shooter (38% on 5.8 attempts in six seasons) and cut to the rim when defenses overloaded on either of his ball-handlers.
His efficiency from beyond the arc dropped to 36.3%, and the volume increased to 9.3 attempts with much more difficult shot quality. He added off-the-dribble threes to his shot diet, and to convert above league average is impressive.
A contract extension has become the biggest question for Brooklyn to answer this offseason. Porter is eligible for a four-year, $234 million extension that will pay him an average annual salary of $58.5 million. Nearly $60 million is a massive overpay for the sharpshooting wing, and is why Marks and Bartelstein are in the midst of negotiating a realistic middle ground.
"The Nets have to ultimately chart out their course for the way they want to go forward," Bartelstein said. "Obviously, we got to do the same thing for Michael. If we can make it work where there's a long-term fit, that would be awesome. But that's something we're going to be talking about here in the days ahead."
Trading Porter seems like a scenario both sides want to avoid, and for good reason. Bartelstein saw his client thrive in a new environment and wants him to stay with a team he believes is a good fit.
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