Michael Porter Jr. has been making waves this season with his play in Brooklyn, becoming a potential first-time All-Star and one of the most sought-after trade deadline candidates. Yet, some people still aren’t buying it, as [Bill Simmons repeatedly stated on a recent podcast](https://youtu.be/3KLj1h-eCHw?si=l5hhdAARul4XGGBf&t=1380) with Rob Mahoney of the Ringer, that he still doesn’t like the trade for the Nets.
Despite admitting that Porter Jr. has played great and it has worked out well, Simmons still insists that the Nuggets would have paid to get off of Mike’s contract and that Cam Johnson was worth multiple first-round picks on the open market.
Bill argued that the first-rounder Brooklyn acquired in the trade was the price of taking on MPJ and his contract, so they essentially threw in Johnson, a player who should have had significant trade value, for free.
It’s an interesting case to make, especially with how well Mike has played this season, but it’s not totally unjustified. In the summer, Porter Jr. was not seen as the asset he is now, and that contract was a major concern for teams around the league. He was looked at as an injury-prone player who was largely one-dimensional, an elite shooter, but not much more.
MPJ's trade value has completely flipped this season
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He felt almost unmovable without the Nuggets sweetening the deal, and that’s exactly what they did with the future first they sent to the Nets. So, it is fair to wonder why the Nets would also include Johnson, a much cheaper wing option with a comparable skillset and better reputation around the league.
The reasonable answer is that the Nets probably overplayed their hand and held onto Johnson for too long. If they sold at the peak of his value, around a year and a half ago, they might have gotten back 2-3 first-round picks and perhaps a young prospect or two. They balked and clung to Johnson as the team crumbled and his value slightly waned.
Still, they almost certainly could have done better on the market last summer than MPJ and one first. It’s easy to look back now and see that the Nets picked up a potential All-Star and someone they may be able to move for more assets. While Johnson has been good, but certainly has not been lighting the world on fire in Denver.
This deal is going to end up working out for the Nets, so it’s unlikely they’ll ever face true scrutiny. Maybe they saw things in Porter Jr. that nobody else did, or maybe they just got lucky with how things have worked out. Either way, it’s fair to say this has turned into a win-win trade in ways that neither side could have fully predicted.