Michael Porter Jr. stayed put at the last NBA Trade Deadline, but the Detroit Pistons could be in the mix for a deal when it arrives this season
Dating back to the 2026 NBA Trade Deadline, the Detroit Pistons looked like a team that could potentially challenge for a title with the addition of another perimeter shooter or who could self-create their own scoring opportunities around Cade Cunningham.
On the surface, Michael Porter Jr. fit those requirements perfectly, so he was a popular candidate to switch teams at the deadline considering the Brooklyn Nets were floundering at the bottom of the East last season. Several deals came in for MPJ, but the Nets hung onto their top scorer and opted to revisit the situation during the offseason after he posted a career-high 24.2 points per game last season.
At the moment, the only big moves left to make for the Detroit Pistons before the start of the regular season would be to re-sign Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson to long-term extensions. The window to add a secondary scorer to the lineup has come and gone, but there’s a chance the Pistons could revisit the possibility of bringing in MPJ at the midway point of the 2026-27 campaign.
”I think his future with the Nets or his Nets tenure might be coming to a close shortly,” Nets reporter Erik Slater said. “That’s kind of my read on it. I just think that they’re apart it seems like in contract negotiations, and I don’t see them holding him past the trade deadline without an extension.
Since Porter will be entering the season on an expiring contract, he becomes an extra tantalizing asset at the deadline to a team looking for a high-scoring rental before the playoffs start even with his $40.8 million contract this year. Since the Pistons own all of their first-round picks moving forward and the Nets are attempting to build for the future, there could be a deal to be made between the two organizations.
“If they want to keep him [past the deadline], they’re still going to have some of the most cap space in the league, but I think that that’s a little too risky for my stomach,” Slater said. “So, I think they’ll probably move him at the trade deadline is what it’s looking like to me and that’s kind of what I have been hearing dating back for a little bit now in terms of how they were viewing him.”
From a fit standpoint, Porter could easily slot in at the four since he’s 6-10, and he’d immediately create a high-scoring power forward rotation in the Motor City with John Collins factoring into the equation as well. Based on Detroit’s current roster construction, Ron Holland II is one of the more likely players to serve backup duty at the four if the season were to start tomorrow, so Porter’s addition could bump Holland back down to the three for playing time behind Thompson in that event.
Pistons President of Basketball Operations Trajan Langdon has shown a track record of making risk-adverse decisions, so the idea of making a big swing for MPJ generally counters that thought process, but the Pistons are hoping to open their title window this season and a big move for MPJ might be necessary to do so.
