Despite a chaotic stretch for the Denver Nuggets front office, one player is reportedly unlikely to be moved under any circumstances: Michael Porter Jr.
According to NBA insider Jake Fischer on the Marc Stein Substack, members of the Kroenke family—owners of the Nuggets—are particularly attached to Porter, citing deep ties to their shared alma mater, the University of Missouri.
“Sources with knowledge of Denver’s thinking have maintained for some time that they struggled to envision ownership ever approving a deal that would send Porter away from the franchise,” Fischer reported.
Denver Nuggets Ownership is Unwilling to Trade Michael Porter Jr.
The report comes amid a whirlwind week for the Nuggets, who fired head coach Michael Malone and announced they would not extend general manager Calvin Booth’s contract.
Those decisions, made with just days remaining in the regular season, have prompted speculation that significant roster changes could follow in the offseason.
But Porter may be off-limits. The former No. 14 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft has spent his entire career with Denver, emerging as a consistent scoring threat and starting forward on the franchise’s 2023 NBA championship team.
The 26-year-old is enjoying one of his most productive campaigns, averaging 18.1 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 2.5 made three-pointers per game on 50.2 percent shooting in 76 appearances.
Durability has become a strength, once a concern, after back injuries limited him to just three college games at Mizzou and caused him to miss his rookie NBA season. Porter played 81 games last year and has missed only a handful this season.
Could the Denver Nuggets Shift Priorities in Offseason?
Porter’s scoring and floor spacing have made him a valuable third option behind Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray. But with Denver’s depth depleted since the departures of Bruce Brown and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, speculation has swirled about potentially dealing from the starting five to balance the roster.
Given his contract—two more guaranteed seasons beyond this one—and his trade value, Porter would presumably be the most likely candidate to move. Yet the Kroenke family’s connection to the former Missouri star is a significant factor in his continued presence in Denver.
While the Nuggets are 49-32 and currently hold the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference heading into the final day of the regular season, inconsistency and locker room tension contributed to Malone and Booth’s abrupt dismissals.
As the team searches for a new head coach and front office leader, decisions about the roster loom—but if ownership has its way, Porter isn’t going anywhere.
