Whether or not ailing Michael Porter Jr. is back Sunday to face the Nuggets team that traded him away, his absence has only underscored his importance.
With Porter, the Nets have been competitive — and at times, slightly better than that, winning seven of his past 10. But without him, they’re 0-6.
Now they’ll host the Nuggets at Barclays Center having dropped three straight and watched their tank get back on track.
And despite Porter’s recent illness — he’s listed as probable after missing the prior two games — an increasing number of teams now are being connected to possible interest in the red-hot forward.
Porter is averaging a career-high 25.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists. He’s the only qualified player in the East mustering at least 25 points and seven boards and one of just five in the whole league, joining Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic, Lauri Markkanen and Deni Avdija.
At 27 on a rebuilding team, that makes Porter a walking inflection point.
A starter on Denver’s 2023 champs, is Porter more valuable as a foundation piece to build around, despite whatever spots his scoring costs the Nets in the lottery standings? Or is he more valuable as a trade chip before next month’s deadline, bringing back picks — and helping the Nets’ own selection by his departure?
These aren’t the only decisions general manager Sean Marks has to make, but they are among the most important — and the most pressing.
The Post reported in the summer that the Nets expect to have a two-year tank and step up in Year 3. Now, Jake Fischer of The Steinline wrote the Nets’ time frame could hinge on how they fare in the June draft, and that league sources expect them to start being aggressive following the draft, regardless of whether or not they trade Porter.
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After being boxed into a corner by James Harden broadsiding them — and probably even before that — Marks values flexibility. He’s created just that, with the Nets leading the league in not only draft picks (32 total, 13 firsts — a dozen unprotected) but cap space ($15.5 million, up to $50 million this offseason).
They can use the latter to get more of the former, taking salary dumps before the trade deadline to land more picks. That’s what they did with Porter, prying the Nuggets’ coveted unprotected 2032 first-rounder just to take Porter.
Being salary-dumped is something Porter used as fuel en route to his career year.
“Yeah, I definitely use everything I can as motivation,” Porter said. “It was just so much noise about me as a player. I just felt like a lot of stuff was discredited because of the fact that it was a rough ending to my time there.
“I knew if I was healthy coming here, I’d be able to change the narrative around me.”
Porter has changed not just the narrative but his value.
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After the trade was derided as one of the worst of the decade by Bill Simmons, now Fischer notes that a first-rounder and re-tradable salary may not be enough to get the Nets to flip Porter midseason.
The Clippers and Bucks have been linked with interest in Porter. Fischer reported that Milwaukee is evaluating Porter and adds the Warriors and Bulls, as well.
But the Nets have moved from sixth to fifth in the lottery standings, seeing their odds at one of the three elite prospects — Darryn Peterson, Cam Boozer or AJ Dybantsa — go up from 27.6 percent to 31.6 percent. They’re only 1 ½ games out of fourth, which would see that jump to 36.6 percent.
While moving Porter would aid their tank, the past few games have shown that spotting him rest days can do the same. And he clearly likes Brooklyn.
“Yeah, I love it here,” Porter said when asked by The Post if he sees himself in Brooklyn long term. “So whatever team wants and appreciates what I bring to the table, then that’s where I want to be. And I feel like they do here. … Like I said, if they want me here, I’d love to be here.”
