The Portland Trail Blazers have been mentioned as a team that could potentially go star hunting this summer. Guys like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kawhi Leonard could be potential options. But why not think about a tier down? Brooklyn Nets forward Michael Porter Jr. hasn’t been mentioned much, but he could give the Blazers exactly what they need.
Portland already has some solid shot creation on its roster. Deni Avdija was an All-Star. He’s one of the best in the NBA at getting to the line. Scoot Henderson showed flashes in the playoffs. Shaedon Sharpe can have the ball a bit. But bringing Porter on board would give the Blazers some much-needed floor spacing.
He may be a perfect high-end role player to help take the Blazers to the next level.
Trail Blazers should consider a Michael Porter Jr. trade
Last summer, the Denver Nuggets dumped Porter. They shipped him to the Nets, attaching a future, unprotected first-round pick in the deal, and in return, the Nets sent back Cameron Johnson.
Since then, Porter has broken out. He enjoyed a very successful campaign in Brooklyn this past year, as the Nets did their best to find him for as many quality looks as possible.
And while his efficiency took a dip, that was because he didn’t have the best spacing around him. In Portland, he would have plenty of spacing in the form of high-level ball-handlers and other shot-makers.
This past year, in 52 appearances for the Nets (32.5 minutes per contest), Porter averaged a career-high 24.2 points to go along with 7.1 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.1 steals per game. He shot 46.3% from the floor and 36.3% from deep range on 9.3 three-point attempts per contest.
Again, while that efficiency may not seem super impressive, Porter took a ton of threes. And the threes he did take were often very contested, as the Nets didn’t have a ton of offensive creation outside of him.
Porter’s floor spacing and three-point shooting would be perfect in Portland’s lineup, especially considering how bad a three-point shooting team it was this season.
The Blazers took the third-most threes per game in the NBA at 42.2. However, they had the third-worst three-point percentage of any team at 34.3%.
Should they trade for Porter, the Blazers could roll out a lineup of Jrue Holiday, Avdija, Porter, Toumani Camara, and Donovan Clingan.
It would be a monstrous lineup in terms of size (or they could swap out Camara for Sharpe), and Porter’s offense would help them a ton on that end of the court.
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