Nets trading for Michael Porter Jr. named one of best deals in 2025

The Brooklyn Nets made one of the more interesting moves in the 2025 NBA offseason when they acquired forward Michael Porter Jr. and a 2032 first-round pick from the Denver Nuggets in exchange for forward Cam Johnson. Many considered Brooklyn's trade for Porter to be a solid move because of the future draft compensation, but it looks like the transaction was even better than that.

"Brooklyn traded Cameron Johnson to Denver for Porter and a 2032 first-round pick, and Porter has significantly outplayed Johnson this season," Zach Kram wrote for ESPN when discussing the best and worst moves of the 2025 offseason. The Nets trading for Porter was regarded as the fourth-best move of the entire summer in Kram's eyes and it seems that's because of how much Porter elevated his game as the primary scorer. "So Brooklyn got the best player in the trade  and  a future unprotected pick to add to its vast war chest," Kram continued.

"Despite a massive increase in usage rate -- Porter ranks 12th among qualified players this season with 30. 4% usage, while his previous career high was 22. 7% -- on a worse team, Porter's efficiency hasn't dropped much.

All those extra opportunities have boosted his scoring to a career-high 24. 2 PPG, 5. 2 points above his previous best.