Michael Porter Jr. was the subject of numerous trade rumors before the mid-season deadline, and the latest playoff box scores have given those talks a new frame. The 27-year-old forward averaged 24.2 points, 7.1 rebounds and 3.0 assists this season while shooting 46.3% from the floor and 36.3% from 3-point range.
The comparison is being drawn through former Brooklyn forwards who moved on after career-best seasons there. Mikal Bridges, 29, played less than 21 minutes and scored zero points in the New York Knicks' Game 3 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday after putting up 21 combined points in the first two games of the series. Cam Johnson scored six points on 2-of-6 shooting in the Denver Nuggets' Game 3 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday.
That matters because the Golden State Warriors were heavily linked to a potential Porter trade before the deadline, and the Brooklyn Nets are not in this year's playoffs. The Knicks paid a steep price for Bridges, sending five first-round picks and a first-round pick swap, while Johnson averaged 12.2 points in his first year with the franchise after a career-high 18.8 points with Brooklyn last season.
The tension is that Porter remains the one name in this group whose value has held up on production, while the two former Brooklyn wings now in playoff action have had uneven nights when their teams needed more. For front offices, that is the point: the price of proven scoring is still high, and the return has to be judged over more than one box score.
