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Michael Porter Jr. #17 of the Brooklyn Nets shoots against Noah Penda #93 of the Orlando Magic during their game at Barclays Center on January 07, 2026 in New York City.
Are the Golden State Warriors close to pulling off a Michael Porter Jr. trade?
According to The Athletic’s John Hollinger, Porter Jr. is “a lock” to be dealt by the Brooklyn Nets ahead of the Feb. 5 NBA trade deadline.
“With one trusted league source telling me that Michael Porter Jr. is a lock to move by the deadline so the Nets can sell high on his career year, it makes sense for the Nets to figure out who will be the centerpiece of their franchise a year from now,” Hollinger reported on Saturday. “Remember, Brooklyn owes a pick swap to Houston in 2027 and thus has no incentive to tank next season. They need some players.”
It’s worth noting that the Warriors, who have up to three tradeable first-round picks, have access to most of their future first-round picks, including 2026, 2027 and 2028. As such, they could part with a couple of their upcoming draft assets, which could allow the Nets to continue building out their roster of the future beyond this season.
Michael Porter Jr. to Warriors Done?
There have been other interesting signs hinting that the Warriors may land the veteran sharpshooter. During Warriors governor Joe Lacob’s 70th birthday party on Saturday, a person yelled, “MPJ trade soon,” while wishing Lacob.
Another interesting development is that the Nets have pulled Porter from Sunday’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies, citing “rest” in their injury report. While some have cited the fact that the game marks the first night of a back-to-back, MPJ has played several back-to-backs this season, just as he did for the Nuggets last year. Typically, players tend to get pulled from games when a trade is imminent.
Amid the MPJ trade buzz, ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel reported Saturday that the Warriors and Bucks are the most aggressive suitors for the 2023 NBA Champion.
Jonathan Kuminga D-Day Approaching
The recent developments come just days before Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga becomes eligible to be traded on Jan. 15. Although several reports have suggested that the Nets have no interest in the Congolese forward, there’s always the possibility of a third team, like the Sacramento Kings, getting involved to faciliate the move.
To that end, Forbes’ Evan Sidery reported Thursday that the Kings, Kuminga’s most aggressive suitor, were “canvassing the market” for a three-team trade to offload Malik Monk’s contract while acquiring the Warriors wing. And due to Golden State’s well-documented interest in MPJ, Sidery floated the idea of the Nets getting involved.
“The Kings are canvassing the market to offload Malik Monk in a multi-team framework with the Warriors for Jonathan Kuminga,” Sidery reported on Thursday.
“The Nets are a team to monitor with Michael Porter Jr.”
Sidery floated the following possible Warriors trade to land MPJ.
Warriors would get: Michael Porter Jr.
Kings would get: Jonathan Kuminga
Nets would get: Mailk Monk, draft capital, salary filler via Warriors
MPJ is averaging career-highs across the board — points (25.9), rebounds (7.4), assists (3.4) and made threes (3.7). He is tied for third in 3PM in the NBA, behind only Stephen Curry (4.8), Donovan Mitchell (3.9) and Tyrese Maxey (3.7).
Sai Mohan covers the NBA for Heavy.com. Based in Portugal, Sai is a seasoned sports writer with nearly two decades of publishing experience, including bylines at Yardbarker, FanSided’s Hoops Habit, International Business Times, Hindustan Times and more. More about Sai Mohan
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