Michael Porter Jr offers blunt take on Nuggets’ playoff exit originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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Last year, the Denver Nuggets took a massive gamble in the offseason, sending away proven scorer Michael Porter Jr and a first-round pick to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for sharpshooter Cameron Johnson. While the move could’ve been seen as a way to save some money, given the high wages Porter Jr was on at the time, it was also meant to help Denver get back to the finals, a place they haven’t been since lifting the Larry O’Brien trophy in 2023.
This quest for playoff ambitions came to an end on Thursday night, when the Nuggets were eliminated from the NBA Playoffs at the hands of the Minnesota Timberwolves, dropping the opening series, 2-4.
Porter Jr talks about the Nuggets’ elimination
When asked about the elimination of his former team, Porter Jr offered a blunt take, that they shouldn’t have dealt him away.
“SHOULDN’T HAVE TRADED ME.”
Michael Porter Jr.’s reaction to the Denver Nuggets being eliminated in the first round by Minnesota 🗣️👀
MPJ & a first round pick was traded to Brooklyn for Cameron Johnson.
Thoughts? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/skpgM8jPCS
— Courtside Buzz (@CourtsideBuzzX) May 2, 2026
[Would the Nuggets have won if they had you?] “Yes, shouldn’t have traded me, man,” Porter stated while on a live stream on Friday afternoon.
The stats would only seem to validate Porter Jr’s opinion, given that he nearly doubled Johnson’s scoring output with Brooklyn this season. Granted, it’s worth noting that he was the team’s number one option, something that wasn’t the case when he was in the Mile High City.
The Nets’ star would go on to elaborate on his first season in Brooklyn, explaining that while the team may not have performed well, he can see that the team has a bright future ahead of them.
“Honestly, I’m living my best life in Brooklyn, even though we didn’t do well this year, I see the future,” Porter explained. “We’re the youngest team in the league, we got a lot of money to spend, I think we go get a good player in the draft, I think we’ll be aight.”
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