During an appearance on the Locked On Nets podcast, Brian Lewis of the New York Post stated that if Michael Porter Jr. does not come to an agreement on an extension with the Brooklyn Nets, he could be traded: “There’s either an extension or a trade,” he said. If that’s the case, the Chicago Bulls should be interested.
It wouldn’t necessarily be easy for the Bulls to get up to Porter’s salary in a deal, but it’s not impossible. And even though Chicago doesn’t seem likely to be a playoff team next season, adding Porter to the mix would give them another solid asset to work with, especially if they wanted to trade Porter at the deadline.
It would be a very interesting trade for the Bulls to pursue, and it could make some sense.
Bulls should consider a Michael Porter Jr. trade
Porter played great for the Nets last year. He had a legitimate chance to make the All-Star team, though he ended up falling short of that mark. Now, he’s getting set to head into next year on an expiring contract.
He and the Nets have yet to come to an agreement on an extension. The 28-year-old forward is in the prime of his career, but from the Nets’ perspective, there’s only so much value he can bring to the team.
Brooklyn is in a full-on rebuild. Porter is built to be a complementary piece on a good team. Not necessarily a top-end player on a bad team. Especially one that probably wants to dole out its minutes to younger players.
With that in mind, it would make sense for the Nets to want to trade Porter, especially if they don’t come to an agreement on a contract extension. And if that’s the case, the Bulls should come knocking.
It’s an imperfect idea. The Bulls don’t have cap space anymore, nor do they have many big contracts to match Porter’s $40.8 million contract in a trade. But there’s a world where they could get there.
If the Bulls packaged Patrick Williams, Isaac Okoro, and one of Zach Collins or Rob Dillingham in a trade, it would get them there. That would be enough for them to match Porter’s money.
Obviously, the Bulls would have to add enough draft capital to get the Nets interested, but his talent alongside Matas Buzelis, Caleb Wilson, Norman Powell, Josh Giddey, and Nicolas Claxton would be intriguing.
And then, if Porter played well enough, the Nets could sell high on him at the deadline. If nothing else, it’s something for Chicago to consider.
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