It was not long ago that the Denver Nuggets garnered a great deal of praise for an offseason trade that sent Michael Porter Jr., along with draft capital, to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Cam Johnson. To be fair, Denver is enjoying a strong start to the 2025-26 season, so it is not as if the Nuggets are instantly regretting the decision. Still, Porter Jr. is performing at a sky-high level in his new home, to the point where he is one of the more attractive potential trade targets ahead of the Feb. 6 NBA Trade Deadline.
Porter Jr. is averaging 25.9 points and 7.5 rebounds per game this season, which is impressive in any context. From there, he is enjoying 49/40/84 shooting splits that amount to a robust 63 percent true shooting mark as the No. 1 option for the Nets.
While the Detroit Pistons would not be the only team that would be logical for Porter Jr., the idea that Detroit could pursue the 27-year-old forward is perhaps picking up steam. As part of a Bleacher Report stream, NBA insider Jake Fischer notes that Porter Jr. "makes total sense" with the Pistons. While he did indicate that the Pistons have not necessarily made active calls on Porter Jr. at this stage, Fischer reports that "they have at least discussed him internally" at this juncture.
What might a deal between the Pistons and Nets for Porter Jr. look like?
Porter Jr. is in the fourth season of a five-year deal worth nearly $180 million that he signed with the Nuggets before being traded to Brooklyn. As such, he is making approximately $38.3 million this season, and that is a significant number for interested teams to match in a trade scenario. With that said, the Pistons have multiple ways to make that happen, mixing and matching the following salaries.
- Tobias Harris - $26.6 million
- Duncan Robinson - $16.8 million
- Caris LeVert - $14.1 million
- Jaden Ivey - $10.1 million
- Ron Holland - $8.6 million
It is not impossible for the Pistons to construct an offer without Harris in it, but it does seem to be quite likely that, if Detroit was in pursuit, Harris would be the biggest chunk of matching salary. For the Nets, it is likely a benefit that Harris is on an expiring deal, and while he remains an effective player, he would be a lot more expendable for Detroit if Porter Jr. was coming back in a deal.
From there, there are three players seemingly off the table entirely for Detroit in Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren, and Ausar Thompson. Perhaps there is a world in which the Pistons might include Thompson in a blockbuster deal but, for a player on Porter Jr.'s level with only one year remaining on his contract, Thompson would probably be unavailable in discussions.
One reason that Detroit would be looking at Porter Jr. is to provide more shooting gravity. At present, only Robinson would be described as a top-tier shooter among Detroit's core rotation players, and the Pistons might want to add Porter Jr. to Robinson, rather than swapping the two in a transaction.
That might lead to a logical offer of Harris and LeVert, Harris and Ivey, or Harris and Holland as the matching salary for Detroit, with the two sides then haggling over draft compensation. All three of those hypothetical 2-for-1 offers would be legal under salary matching restrictions, for the record.
LeVert would potentially be the preferred option for Detroit to send out, as the veteran guard remains a solid rotation piece but is not necessarily a core part of the Pistons' future. On the Brooklyn side, Ivey or Holland could be more appealing. Ivey is a former top-five pick and, as such, it might surprise people to see him included here. At the same time, the 6-foot-3 guard has not been able to find his footing in Detroit, in part due to injury. Holland is a lottery talent who has played a real role for the Pistons, but with Thompson already in place as an athletic, defense-first wing, it is conceivable that Detroit would part ways with Holland in the right deal.
As noted above, this could come down to draft compensation, with Detroit likely looking to keep the cost down for future-facing reasons. If Holland is in the deal, the Pistons could perhaps escape with a modest draft price. If it's Harris and LeVert, maybe it takes more than one first round pick.
At present, the Pistons are 28-10 and in fantastic shape to make a run to the NBA Finals if things break their way. Another piece would go a long way, though, and Porter Jr. might be the best mix of talent and price that is available to Detroit this cycle.