BREAKING: Nuggets Predicted to Swap Michael Porter Jr. For Former No. 1 Pick in 3-Team Deal With Heat, Hawks
The Denver Nuggets head into the offseason with decisions to make. They shocked many when they announced the firing of head coach Michael Malone. Malone and the team were reportedly at odds for the entire season, evident with Malone's quote stating the team doesn't watch film. Perhaps the most shocking part of the trade was the timing, as it was just before the start of the NBA Playoffs.
However, the move seemed to pay off. Many thought the Nuggets were doomed in the first round against the Los Angeles Clippers, who were one of the hottest teams entering the NBA Playoffs. While the series went seven games, they pulled off the first-round series win to advance.
Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. (1) controls the ball as Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) guards.
Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
Nuggets predicted to swap Michael Porter Jr. for former No. 1 pick
The Nuggets had their chances in the following series against the Oklahoma City Thunder, forcing a seven-game series. While Nikola Jokic did his best to carry his team to the Conference Finals, they fell just short. It didn't help that Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. was a shell of himself due to a shoulder injury.
In a mock trade by Atlanta Hawks on SI, they have the Nuggets sending Porter Jr. to the Miami Heat and Peyton Watson to the Hawks while getting Andrew Wiggins and Nikola Jovic in return.
Andrew Wiggins dribbles the basketball against the Boston Celtics at Kaseya Center.
Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
The move would help the Nuggets add defense on the wing and NBA Finals experience with Wiggins, while also securing a likely bench scorer in Jovic. Porter Jr. still has two years left on his contract and will make $38.3 million next season and $40.8 million the next season.
Just the savings in his salary alone would likely be enough to help address the Nuggets' lack of depth, which became glaring down the stretch of the Thunder series. A move like this could be enough to get Denver back in the Conference Finals.