He was once a hero of the team s championship, but he became a negative asset at the age of 27. After being traded, the fans applauded

As we all know, the NBA is a huge business world. The team can make any decisions for its own development and interests. For example, in the past year, many incredible things have happened in the NBA. For example, the Mavericks traded the top star Doncic, who he trained himself. You should know that he led the team to win the Western Conference championship again after 13 years last year. In addition, the Bucks suddenly cut Lillard in the offseason this year, whose salary will be as high as $110 million in the next two years. Such a buyout case is quite rare in history.

Therefore, when stars of this level are abandoned by the team, it is more normal for other players to be traded or bought out. Even players who have helped the team win the championship will be put on the trading shelves after their own value declines. For example, Holiday, who was sent away by the Celtics this year, is no longer in the team's future plans due to his decline in competitive conditions and his age. So the Celtics took advantage of the fact that his trading value had not yet completely declined to the lowest point and quickly took action.

And in this offseason, not only was Holiday a champion who was traded by the original team, but Michael Porter also ended his career in the Nuggets. In 2018, the Nuggets personally selected this former No. 18 favorite. The main reason why Porter Jr. fell to 14th in the first round was injury, which led him to develop in the direction of an unballed shooter in the future. However, this feature is very consistent with the Nuggets' lineup and team building plan, so they chose him at the risk of Porter Jr.'s risk of injury.

After being selected, Porter Jr. did not play a game due to injury in his rookie season, which made fans even more worried that he would be lost in the crowd. Porter Jr., who finally made the NBA season in 2019-2020, averaged 9.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.1 three-pointers per game in the regular season, with his shooting percentage and three-point shooting percentage as high as 50.9% and 42.2% respectively. This is also the data produced when he averaged only 16.4 minutes of playing time. Therefore, his performance has gradually won the trust of the team and fans.

Potter Jr. basically started firmly in the 2020-2021 season. Coupled with Murray's injury, he also got more opportunities to display his talents on the offensive end. In the end, Porter Jr.'s data in the regular season ushered in a visible surge. He averaged 19 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 2.8 three-pointers per game, and his shooting percentage and three-point shooting percentage were as high as 54.2% and 44.5%. Although Porter Jr. has average ball-holding ability, his ability to off-ball is outstanding, especially as teammates with players like Jokic, he plays more easily on the court.

The biggest feature of Porter Jr. on the offensive end is his own shooting. He is 2.08 meters tall and he is still a big jump shot. Therefore, as long as he takes action firmly, it will be difficult for defensive players to cause obvious interference to him. Moreover, with the help of Malone and Jokic, Porter Jr. has also made great progress in his off-ball running position. In addition, he can also play some simple hand-handed hands, which amplify his projection advantage. Also, Porter Jr.'s physical fitness is not bad, so when he cuts into the basket, he can also cause an effective threat to attack the frame. Therefore, his shooting percentage at the basket can also be as high as 72.2% in the regular season of the 2020-2021 season.

Although Porter Jr.'s weaknesses are very obvious on the defensive end, on the one hand, his offensive end has a great effect on the team. At least he can help the team in defensive rebounds and filling the penalty area with body shape to improve the team's overall frame protection. So even though the Nuggets fell in the semi-finals of the 2021 playoffs, the team finally chose to sign a five-year, 173 million early contract renewal with him.

However, Porter Jr. was injured again in the 2021-2022 season. He was reimbursed after only 9 games in the regular season, and in the end, the Nuggets wasted another season. By the 2022-2023 season, all Nuggets returned, and this year they finally proved the true strength of the lineup that the management has carefully built. The Nuggets ranked first in the Western Conference with a record of 53 wins. During this period, Porter Jr., as the core of the team, averaged 17.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1 assist and 3 three-pointers per game, and his three-point shooting percentage was still as high as 41.4%, so he is undoubtedly the best shooter in the Nuggets.

Although Porter Jr.'s feel has declined, his performance on the defensive end is better. It can be seen from the increase in his average rebounds to 8.1, and he has also played harder on the court. Moreover, although Porter Jr.'s overall feel is not as good as the regular season, his opponent obviously cannot ignore his point, because as long as Porter Jr. finds his feel, he can ignore the defense and score continuously, especially when the Nuggets continue to defend and successfully launch counterattacks, Porter Jr.'s fast attack three-pointer can always give his opponent a fatal blow. Therefore, when the Nuggets win the championship in 2023, he undoubtedly played a very critical role. Without him, the team would not be able to win the championship.

However, Porter Jr. is important, but he has to admit that his contract is indeed a premium, especially after winning the championship, Porter Jr. did not continue to improve. Coupled with Murray's decline and the loss of core players, this has led to the Nuggets' offensive and defensive system being far less solid than the championship season. This has also led to Porter Jr.'s shortcomings appearing more and more prominent on the court, especially without defensive players like Brown and Pope, Porter Jr. is more likely to be targeted on the court..

Porter Jr. averaged only 9.1 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.7 three-pointers in the playoffs this year. It can be said that this is the worst playoffs he has played since he entered the league. Although this has a lot to do with his injury, for the Nuggets, they obviously no longer believe that Porter Jr. can still grow into a better player, especially in the current lineup. The team is increasingly unable to tolerate his shortcomings, so the Nuggets decisively sent him away in the offseason.

In order to achieve the effect of strengthening, the Nuggets also added Cameron Johnson, who only received the Nets' Nets' first round. The latter's strong shooting ability and rebounding ability are not as good as Porter Jr., but his victory is that he plays more stable and has a defense as the basic floor. Considering that the Nuggets' current starting lineup lacks defensive quality, the team also attaches great importance to this supplement. After seeing the Nuggets make such a deal, most of the fans applaud. Although they all played a key role in the 2023 championship, if the team wants to continue to win the championship, they have to get rid of his premium contract.

However, Porter Jr. is still optimistic about the deal. He personally said that this is a good thing for his career development, because he believes that he will get more opportunities at the Nets. If he continues to stay in the Nuggets, he will only be a supporting role around Jokic and Murray. Although Porter Jr.'s imagination is beautiful, it has to be said that there is a reason why he cannot be the absolute core. With his ball-holding skills, it is obviously not enough to support him to become the top two core on the team's offensive end.