US reporter: The Nuggets will explore the possibility of trading Porter Jr. this summer, but he will play for at least one year

June 9, According to the latest report by Denver Post reporter Bennett Durando, the Nuggets may explore the possibility of trading Michael Porter Jr. this summer, but the most likely situation is that he will play for the team for at least another season.

Bennett Durando pointed out that Nuggets owner Josh Kroenke had previously said that he wanted to retain his current core roster, and recently he said: "I think a lot of our answers are actually within the team." This means that unless the Nuggets receive an undeniable offer, fans should not expect Porter or other important rotation players to be traded this summer.

But he also mentioned that the Nuggets' salary situation will be further tighter in the 2026-27 season, when Gordon will receive a $9 million salary increase, and Christian Braun is expected to receive a new contract as well. Porter will enter the final year of the contract by then, so Bennett Durando believes that if Porter is to be traded, it is more likely next summer.

Finally, salary expert Josie Gozlan noted in his Substack column Third Apron that the Nuggets will trigger a "duplicate luxury tax" next season, which will more than double their total taxes, expected to reach $42.9 million. He also mentioned that the Nuggets have limited draft assets available to package in the transaction, which makes it more difficult to clear unpopular contracts. Although the Nuggets have five first-round picks in the next seven years, they can only trade one between 2031 or 2032; the only second-round pick they can trade is in 2032.

Potter had suffered from health problems in his early years, but he has been in stable attendance in the past two seasons, playing 81 and 77 games respectively. This season, he averaged 18.2 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game, with shooting percentages of 50.4%, 39.5% of three-pointers and 76.8% of free throws respectively.