The Indiana Pacers have done a great job of setting themselves up for the future. Despite missing the postseason this past year, they have laid a great foundation.
With the addition of Tyrese Haliburton two trade deadlines ago, they landed a franchise player who looks to be fully capable of leading the way for Indiana moving forward.
But how long will they wait to surround him with more talent? Obviously, they have plenty of time. But they also have some solid trade assets they could package together in a larger deal.
Grade the Trade: Pacers land Michael Porter Jr. from Nuggets in 4-player mock deal
Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report recently wrote an article in which he concocted a trade for each team to get rid of their worst contract. For the Denver Nuggets, he deemed that to be Michael Porter Jr., and he chose the Pacers as a landing spot.
Here is the full outline of Buckley’s trade idea:
In September of 2021, Porter Jr. inked a massive five-year, $179 million contract extension with the Nuggets, of which he has four years left, including a partially guaranteed year in the final season of the deal.
From Buckley’s perspective, Denver would make this deal if they realize that their younger pieces aren’t ready to fill the holes left by the likes of Bruce Brown and Jeff Green.
In turn, they would be flipping Porter Jr. into a few different rotation pieces, sacrificing high-end talent for improved depth next to Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray.
However, what grade does this receive for each team involved? Let’s find out.
Grade the Trade: Pacers land Michael Porter Jr. from Nuggets in 4-player mock deal: Nuggets grade
As Zach Buckley noted in his explanation, the Denver Nuggets would only make such a deal if their depth doesn’t end up playing up to par on their quest to win another championship.
Michael Porter Jr. played a crucial role in Denver’s title run in 2023, particularly in the scoring and rebounding departments. And despite a relatively quiet Finals, his playoff run was great.
However, the Nuggets lost Bruce Brown and Jeff Green in free agency this summer, leaving them with less depth than they had during their playoff run, with only younger players left to fill the holes.
Guys like Christian Braun, Julian Strather, Peyton Watson, and others seem ready to take on larger roles (or large roles off the jump, in the case of the rookies), but what if it’s not enough?
Buddy Hield would step in as the team’s new sharpshooter in the absence of Porter Jr., but he doesn’t have the height or rebounding ability to replace what the former brings to the table.
TJ McConnell would be a nice piece, too, but the Nuggets just brought back Reggie Jackson. And while Obi Toppin could act as a solid lob threat for Nikola Jokic, he probably wouldn’t have a massive role.
All in all, this would be a wild desperation move for the Nuggets, and the fact that they would have to give up three second-round picks in the deal makes it even less appealing.
If they were going to trade Porter Jr., they should aim to get either a bit more value on the player side or a bit more value on the picks side.
Grade: C-
Potential starting lineup:
Jamal Murray, Buddy Hield, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Aaron Gordon, Nikola Jokic
Grade the Trade: Pacers land Michael Porter Jr. from Nuggets in 4-player mock deal: Pacers grade
On the flip side, this could actually be an intriguing idea for the Indiana Pacers to consider should the Denver Nuggets put the trade on the table.
Michael Porter Jr. had a phenomenal regular season for Denver. He averaged 17.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.0 assists per game while shooting 48.7% from the floor and 41.4% from behind the three-point.
For the majority of this offseason, the Pacers have supposedly been looking for a defensive-minded wing to add to their team. Names like OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam have been named as potential ideas.
Porter Jr. isn’t exactly a defense-first guy, but he would be an intriguing fit next to Tyrese Haliburton, especially with his elite shooting ability.
Obviously, the Pacers already have a guy like that in Buddy Hield, who would be thrown into this deal, but Porter Jr. is only 25 years old. Hiels is already 30.
At 6-foot-10, Porter Jr. would add some serious height to a Pacers lineup that lacks just that at the forward position. They rolled out Hield and Aaron Nesmith at the three and four at times this past season.
Add in the fact that Indiana would get three seconds in the deal, with Obi Toppin as the only real future piece they would be giving up, and this could be an interesting move for a young and hungry Indiana squad.
Grade: A-
Potential starting lineups:
Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Benedict Mathurin, Michael Porter Jr., Myles Turner