Even though the Detroit Pistons have consistently signaled that they are not going to make a splashy move at the trade deadline, that hasn’t stopped them from being connected to Michael Porter Jr. in trade rumors.
This is all speculation by people who see MPJ as an impact addition the Pistons could potentially make without the hefty price tag associated with guys like Lauri Markkanen and Trey Murphy III.
And in the case of Murphy III, he may not be available anyway, as the Pelicans have indicated that they are not listening to offers on him, though we know that can change.
Marc Stein also reported recently that the buzz around Porter Jr. may be similarly misguided, saying he is “...getting pushback (on the idea of MPJ being traded)...that the Nets would rather not trade him now, as hot as he is, to wait until offseason to make a decision.”
This was after John Hollinger said that the MPJ trade was a “lock,” so there is conflicting information coming from the Nets’ camp.
MPJ makes a lot of sense on paper, but there are still real challenges and that’s if the Nets are even interested in trading him.
The Pistons would be buying high on Michael Porter Jr.
It’s easy to write off the pushback from the Nets as a team trying to play its cards close to the chest, as they know they could end up having the hottest trade asset on the market, especially if Markkanen and TMIII stay put.
That doesn’t bode well for the Pistons or any other team that wants to trade for him, as the Nets have little motivation to move him other than to win fewer games, and they may instead see Porter Jr. as the kind of veteran they’d like to keep around on their young team.
The Nets have cap space and as much financial flexibility as any team, so they don’t have to be in a rush to jettison a guy that is currently averaging 26 points and 7.4 rebounds a game while shooting 40 percent from 3-point range on a high volume of shots.
Selling high would also make some sense for the Nets, who just drafted five players in the first round of the last draft and are prioritizing a rebuild.
Even if the Nets did plan to trade him, it would make sense for them to leak information like this to try and build up the market, and it may be substantial if he ends up being the best available player.
The idea that the Pistons could get him for some combo of veteran contracts, and a pick may be slipping away.
And to be fair, the Pistons have not given any indication that they are even interested in such a move, so MPJ may have been a long shot anyway.