The Jon Wallace and Ben Tenzer era commenced with a bang at the start of free agency, as the Denver Nuggets trade Michael Porter Jr and their 2032 first round pick to the Brooklyn Nets in return for Cameron Johnson. This breaks up what was one of the best starting units in the league, but the Nuggets obviously felt the salary savings as well as the player that Cam Johnson is made it worthwhile for them to part ways with MPJ and that valuable 2032 pick.
Like KSE Sports, let’s first talk about money. Cam Johnson is under contract for the coming year and next one at around 21 and 23 million dollars respectively. MPJ was going to make around 39 and 41 million those two years, so the Nuggets are saving something like 36 million dollars over the next two years. If the Kroenkes roll that money back into the team it allows for more significant upgrades as well as clearing room for Christian Braun’s expected extension which would start next year with a likely-hefty price tag.
Now the players. MPJ was so vital for this team even when he wasn’t shooting because teams could not sag off of him. In the playoffs once he got injured, Nuggets fans watched teams pack the paint to try to stop Jokic and no one could make them pay to get them out of that defense. MPJ shot 39.6% from deep the past two years combined on more than 6 shots a game – and Cam Johnson shot 39% on basically the same volume. Cam moves more, and has more of an assist mentality while Mike has been crashing the boards in ways Johnson never has and likely never will, but at it’s heart this is a shooter-for-shooter trade that saves the Nuggets in ways that allow them to fill out the rest of the current roster better than they would have been able to with Mike’s salary on the books.
And this current roster is the one that matters. It’s bittersweet because Michael Porter Jr. meant so much to Denver throughout this era, but in the end he was the one who had to move if change was going to happen, and change happened. The Nuggets need to maximize the Jokic Years and this is a big swing to try to do just that. More to come!
