If any team has proven themselves willing to wheel and deal ahead of the trade deadline, it’s the Brooklyn Nets. Over the past five years, they’ve traded away future Hall of Fame talents Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving. They’ve traded for Ben Simmons and D’Angelo Russell, fallen All-Stars.

Perhaps most importantly, they’ve signified that they’d rather go through a rebuild than be a middling team. Last February, this prompted them to trade a surging Dennis Schroder to the Golden State Warriors. This season, it could lead to them moving Michael Porter Jr., who’s been putting up All-NBA numbers.

Have Nets Set Trade Price For $38.3 Million Star Michael Porter Jr.?

Porter’s playing so well that there’s speculation the Nets could ask for “two first-round picks plus other assets” if they were to trade him, per NBC Sports Bay Area reporter Dalton Johnson (h/t Fullcourtpass on X).

Michael Porter Jr could cost two first-round picks plus other assets, per @DaltonJ_Johnson

“One source speculated that Michael Porter Jr could be two-first round picks, plus Jonathan Kuminga, plus others to match that salary.”

(Via @NBCSWarriors) pic.twitter.com/sFi58m13fi

— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) January 8, 2026

In a hypothetical trade with the Golden State Warriors, it’s suggested that the price for Porter would be two first-rounders, along with promising forward Jonathan Kuminga and others.

This may be shocking considering that Porter was the third option for the Denver Nuggets for the bulk of his career. Truthfully though, it’s not really far-fetched. As previously mentioned, the 6-foot-10 flamethrower has been, well… on fire. 28 games into the season, he’s averaging 26.1 points, 7.5 points and 3.3 assists per game. Despite having more on his plate than ever, he’s eating efficiently with .495-.411-.828 shooting splits.

His skillset is a perfect fit for the Warriors offense given Steve Kerr’s emphasis on the 3-ball and spacing. Keep in mind, Kerr’s concern with the on-court geometry when Kuminga’s on the floor is considered to be the primary impetus in his inability to spread his wings in The Bay. Their contrasting styles and situations leads to a value imbalance that greatly favors Porter.

This is particularly true given Golden State’s preference to keep veterans Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler III, their defensive tone-setters. To that point, both Green and Butler shoot under 34 percent from 3 for their careers. As a result, Porter not only helps balance the floor but complements their core.

At the same time, he’s only 27 years old, which may allow the Warriors to extend their championship window. However, his contract –which is guaranteed for $38.3 million in 2025-26 –ends after the 2026-27 season.

Michael Porter Jr. Jumpstarts The Warriors Offense

Picture a starting lineup with Porter at small forward, Butler at shooting guard, Green at power forward, and Stephen Curry at point guard. No matter who they start at center, they should have enough firepower to compete with opposing first units. That’s a far cry from where they’re at now, as the Warriors starters only average 72.8 points per game, tied for 24th in the NBA.

Essentially, Golden State would be replacing Moses Moody (25 starts) with Porter. No, trades aren’t simple math. Nevertheless, with Porter averaging +15.6 points more than Moody (10.5 points per game) this season, that’s quite the upgrade. For posterity’s sake, neither Will Richard (7.7 points per game) nor Gui Santos (3.6 points per game) come close to Porter’s production either.