Is the leading scorer on Brooklyn open to a trade? Or does he want to stay put?
The Brooklyn Nets will either keep their leading scorer or ship him away.
Michael Porter Jr. remains a popular trade idea across the league. Given the Nets' current record, many fans believe a roster blowup should take place to build for the future.
Porter himself is hearing all the constant talk online and outside of Barclays Center. But is he open for a change of scenery amid the Nets' 6-17 mark?
The veteran and former Denver Nugget sounded off on his future before facing the Dallas Mavericks on Friday. He let it be known to Brian Lewis of the New York Post where he really wants to be.
"Whatever team wants and appreciates what I bring…that’s where I want to be," Porter Jr. began. "And I feel like they do here."
Another words, he has no desire to play elsewhere. However, he understands that personnel decisions coming from general manager Sean Marks and head coach Jordi Fernandez are out of his control
"I don’t know their long-term plans; that’s above my pay grade…but I’d love to be here," Porter told the Nets' reporter for the NY Post.
Porter got sent to Brooklyn back in July in exchange for Cameron Johnson. The move sent shockwaves as Porter not long ago became a pivotal part of the Nuggets' first-ever NBA Finals run -- winning the Larry O'Brien Trophy alongside Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and former head coach Michael Malone.
Porter left the Rocky Mountains averaging 18.2 points per game and shooting above 50%.
Money indeed played a big part of this franchise altering move -- or a popular term in the league is "salary dump." Porter, though, became motivated by that.
“I knew…I’d be able to change the narrative around me. As a player, using everything you can as motivation is very important…if you can use things that keep pushing yourself, that’s a big thing," Porter said to Lewis.
But still, Porter finds himself in the reverse situation of what he walked into with the Nuggets. Brooklyn is not built to go on a playoff run or even contend for a championship unlike his former team. Brooklyn, again, is faced with rearranging the roster.
Marks and Fernandez already have younger talent to build around -- a la Egor Demin and Nolan Traore. Ben Saraf, Danny Wolf and Adou Thiero also comprise the young talent that came via the 2025 NBA Draft. There's also fuel that the Nets are eyeing AJ Dybansta of BYU -- widely considered the best overall prospect for the 2026 draft.