Michael Porter Jr. is looking to build on his All-Star caliber season this upcoming year.

However, he might not be a member of the Brooklyn Nets past the trade deadline, according to ClutchPoints’ Erik Slater, as he was joined with Yossi Gosland and the New York Post’s Brian Lewis on an episode of the Third Apron podcast.

“I think his future with the Nets, or his Nets tenure, might be coming to a close shortly. That’s kind of my read on it,” Slater said. “I just think that they’re apart in contract negotiations, and I don’t see them holding him past the trade deadline without an extension. I’ve seen some Nets fans posit that they could hold him past the trade deadline and let him go into unrestricted free agency if they want to keep him. 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. 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.”

The Nets could get a first round pick in any potential deal for MPJ, but ideally, Porter’s exorbitant salary could help Brooklyn land another superstar that suddenly becomes available.

Porter is playing some of the best basketball of his career, but his talents are best used on a team that’s ready to win now, not a few years from now.

That’s why Porter could be a valuable second or third option on a team that is ready to take that next step, given his ability to move off the ball and operate in cutting and screening actions.

Porter proved capable of operating as a third wheel during the Denver Nuggets’ championship run in 2023 and has shown a willingness to make sacrifices for the betterment of his team.

The Nets could always keep Porter around if Porter is willing to lower his contract demands, which seem to be around $40 million annually, but that doesn’t appear to be likely.

But if that happens, Porter could then help keep the Nets competitive for the next few years and be a voice some of the young guns could lean on over the course of a rigorous season.

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