n case you haven’t noticed, Brooklyn Nets forward Michael Porter Jr. is on an absolute heater and is almost a lock to make his first All-Star team. The Golden State Warriors trade target has averaged 34.3 points on shooting splits of 56/53/76 in December, while making an eye-popping 5.8 threes per game.
And his scorching form has not been restricted to just this month. MPJ is averaging career-highs across the board — points (26.3), rebounds (7.4), assists (3.2) and 3PM (3.7) — since assuming the role of the primary scoring option in Brooklyn.
Michael Porter Jr. Makes History
Most impressively, Porter Jr. has tallied those numbers at an uber-efficient clip despite attempting a career-high 18.8 shots per game. According to OptaStats, MPJ has made the most efficient 20-game start since future Hall of Famer Kevin Durant.
“Michael Porter Jr. has scored 525 points in his first 20 games for the
Brooklyn Nets, shooting .501 from the field and .403 from beyond the arc. One other player in NBA history has scored 525+ points with .500+/.400+ shooting splits through 20 career games with any team, Kevin Durant, who did it with three different teams (Warriors, Nets and Suns),” OptaSTATS highlighted on X.
The Warriors, who rank 14th in the league in 3P%, could definitely use an efficient sharpshooter like Porter, a career 41% volume shooter from deep. Besides Stephen Curry, Moses Moody is the only other Warriors player making at least 2.0 threes per game. However, Moody has lacked consistency and often disappears for long stretches.
In Thursday’s loss to the Timberwolves, for example, the Warriors shot 15-of-46 (33%) from three and wasted an electric 39-point performance by Curry.
Warriors Trade Target
MPJ would instantly be the Warriors’ second-best shooter and complement Curry perfectly, especially with his movement shooting.
The Missouri alum is reportedly expected to be pursued not just by the Warriors but by a host of other title contenders ahead of the Feb. 5 trade deadline. The former NBA Champion’s ability to move without the ball, rebounding and efficient shooting are precisely the skills coveted by nearly every team. It also helps that he can be a plug-and-play piece who can thrive next to other stars, as he did during his six-year stint with Nikola Jokic, the best player in the league.
The Ringer’s Bill Simmons has urged the Warriors to aggressively pursue Porter, as the sharpshooting forward would fit nicely in a starting unit with two non-shooters — Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler III.
Simmons floated a Warriors trade idea that would see the Warriors build a package around Jonathan Kuminga, though he’s unsure how the money will work.
“I was thinking about a Porter-Warriors kinda match, which I know [people have] floated around out there,” Simmons said. “From a money standpoint, it gets a little tough, because it would have to be, like, a three-for-one, and the Nets already have 100 players.”
“But conceptually, just putting Porter in that [Jonathan] Kuminga spot — somebody who’s been in big games, somebody who’s a streaky scorer, which I kinda feel like the Warriors need,” Simmons added.
Warriors Trade Pitch for MPJ
Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley also floated a Warriors trade idea for Porter Jr. that would see Moody and Hield being included to make the money work.
Warriors would get: Michael Porter Jr.
Nets would get: Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, Buddy Hield, a 2026 first-round pick (top-four protected) and a 2028 first-round pick swap
“Porter’s shot-making could be a godsend for Golden State, which has struggled to find consistent scoring around Stephen Curry,” Buckley wrote. “And while Porter is arguably overpaid ($38.3 million this season), the Warriors might be willing to stomach that blow since his contract will expire at the same time when Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green all exhaust their current deals (2027).”
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