The Nets can extend Michael Porter Jr.\u2019s expiring $40.8 million contract right up to next July\u2019s free agency. There\u2019s no real deadline, but Tuesday may offer a signal as to the Nets thinking on the 28-year-old who put up 24\/7\/3 last season, a career high, as the Brooklyn rejected trade offers at the February deadline.<\/p>\n
As Brian Lewis explained Saturday:<\/p>\n
The upcoming season\u2019s deadline is expected to be Feb. 11.<\/p>\n
Due to the quirks of the CBA, that does make this Tuesday worth watching.<\/p>\n
If Porter gets an extension \u2014 with a raise of 5 percent or more than two additional seasons \u2014 then he can\u2019t be traded for six months.<\/p>\n
And if the Nets renegotiate his contract, he also can\u2019t be moved for six months.<\/p>\n
That means if Marks plans to do either of those things with Porter, he\u2019d either have to do them by Tuesday, otherwise the forward couldn\u2019t be traded until next summer.<\/p>\n
If the Nets and MPJ can\u2019t come to an agreement, there\u2019s speculation both sides might want a separation, but a trade now, with most rosters set, might not be the time. Assuming nothing changes before the deadline, and he keeps playing at tha same pace, he could be a valuable piece for a contender. But Sean Marks & co. give every indication they want to keep him, although it\u2019s uncertain what\u2019s progressed..<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sure we\u2019ll have those discussions,\u201d Marks said at the end of the Vegas Summer League. \u201cWe value him a lot. He had a terrific year last year, arguably his best year as a pro. I give him a lot of credit for that.<\/p>\n
\u201cI also give Jordi [Fernandez] and the coaching staff a heck of a lot of credit for putting him in places where he can have that type of success. It\u2019s been great to see what Mike\u2019s done for us. So I look forward to having those discussions, and just seeing what Mike can do the rest of the summer and the rest of the season\u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cAs I said before, I love Mike, the guy, the person, the player, and I hope he is part of this team. But we\u2019re just gonna have to have those discussions between the two of us and our representatives and go from there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Porter Jr.\u2019s agent has expressed similar sentiments, and Porter Jr. himself has lavished the organization with praise. But money is money and flexibility is flexibility. There\u2019s also a league-wide trend to keep contracts short unless a team is trying to keep a superstar on the roster.<\/p>\n
MPJ has been eligible for a four-year, $234 million deal since June 19. That\u2019s an annual average value of $58.5 million. That isn\u2019t happening, but it does seem that if Brooklyn and he can agree to a deal, it may turn out to be creative. Mark Bartelstein, Porter Jr.\u2018s agent, also has a reputation for making things work using the CBA\u2019s nooks and crannies.<\/p>\n
The most rumored \u2014 and that\u2019s all it is, rumored \u2014 solution is for the Nets to take their remaining $4.9 million in cap space and re-jigger MPJ\u2019s remaining deal so he gets an immediate $4.9 million raise this year to $45.7 million then tag on a multi-year extension starting at perhaps $35 million in 2027-28, the length of which being the key issue. (Brooklyn would still have a $9.4 million room MLE and be a good $10 million under the luxury tax threshold.)<\/p>\n
Porter spoke this week on just how long he intends to play in the league. He\u2019s still bothered by a bad back suffered in college. He said once he settles down, it will be about family.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we start having kids, I don\u2019t want other people really raising my kids,\u201d Porter said on the \u201cGirls, Disrupted\u201d podcast. \u201cBut the thing is, I don\u2019t want to play basketball for 10 more years. I want to be done in the next five, six years. So then, during that time, I\u2019m fine being home a lot. I\u2019m a chill dude. I want to raise my kids.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sounded like a hint he\u2019s planning long-term right now.<\/p>\n
Losing MPJ would, barring some surprise, put the Nets in an offensive straitjacket. Finding a missing 24 or 25 points a game would not be easy. The most likely return on a deal would be more draft assets of which the Nets have plenty. Moreover, in his time in Brooklyn, Porter Jr. has become a mentor and leader for the team\u2019s younger players, an added and unexpected bonus for Brooklyn.<\/p>\n
it does seem the Nets want to keep him. In June, they traded Nic Claxton to add anther high-scoring forward, Julius Randle, in hopes of igniting Jordi Fernandez\u2019s offense. Both are proven NBA vets: Porter started on an NBA championship team and Randle is a three-time All-Star and two-way All-NBA selection with a love of the city \u2026 and things to prove after the Knicks unceremoniously dumped him for Karl-Anthony Towns at the beginning training camp in 2024..<\/p>\n
So, we shall see starting Tuesday where things are headed.<\/p>\n