The Denver Nuggets won the 2023 championship against the Miami Heat in five games. It appeared the team would become the NBA’s next dynasty with superstar center Nikola Jokic leading the way.
However, the Nuggets have lost in the conference semifinals two years in a row since winning it all.
Denver lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2024 conference semifinals in seven games and fell to the Oklahoma City Thunder in this year’s conference semifinals in seven games.
Not only do the Nuggets have no draft picks in the 2025 draft, but their starting payroll is also over the cap, according to Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report.
With that said, Pincus predicts that Denver will trade small forward Michael Porter Jr. this offseason for some cap flexibility.
“Now that its playoff run is over, Denver has limited means to improve. It needs to decide on an extension for Christian Braun, and its only real path to flexibility may be trading Michael Porter Jr.’s large contract,” Pincus wrote.
“Projection: Porter is dealt to a lower-tier team that’s looking to add an experienced playoff veteran.”
The Nuggets signed Porter Jr. to a five-year, $172 million extension in 2021. The swingman will make $38.3 million next season and $40.1 million in 2026-27, the final season of his contract.
Porter Jr. has spent his entire career in Denver. He averaged 18.2 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.1 assists this season in 77 games while shooting 50.4% from the field, 39.5% from beyond the arc and 76.8% from the free-throw line.
In the 2025 playoffs, Porter Jr. put up only 9.1 points per game on 39.2% shooting from the field and 34.3% shooting from 3.
The Nuggets selected Porter Jr. with the 14th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. Porter Jr. missed his entire rookie season with a back injury. He has career averages of 16.2 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 345 games.
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