Neither the Golden State Warriors or Brooklyn Nets are participating in this year's playoffs, but there's still a valuable lesson being learned about Michael Porter Jr. after the star forward found himself in numerous trade rumors before the mid-season deadline.
The Warriors, in particular, were heavily linked to a potential Porter trade, yet the form and impact (or lack thereof) from former Nets players proves they shouldn't be buying high on the 27-year-old if an opportunity arises again during the summer.
Former Nets prove Warriors shouldn't trade for Michael Porter Jr.
Porter is just the latest in a line of Brooklyn forwards who enjoyed a career-best year at the franchise in recent times, having averaged 24.2 points, 7.1 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game on 46.3% shooting from the floor and 36.3% from 3-point range this season.
Yet recent history would suggest the Nets should have sold on Porter's high value when they had the chance. Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson were always going to see their numbers diminish with smaller roles on better teams, but their lack of impact to start these playoffs has been startling and has further justified Brooklyn's decision to move on at the right time.
Bridges played less than 21 minutes in the New York Knicks' Game 3 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday, going scoreless after scoring just 21 combined points through the first two games of the series.
The 29-year-old has come in for significant criticism in the wake of his series to date, having only been made worse by the fact the Knicks gave up five first-round picks and a first-round pick swap for Bridges after posting big numbers in his just over 12 months with the Nets.
Johnson, meanwhile, had just six points on 2-of-6 shooting in the Denver Nuggets' Game 3 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, having averaged only 12.2 points in his first year with the franchise after a career-high 18.8 with Brooklyn last season.
Warriors could have fell for the Nets trade trap
Johnson had been a potential target for the Warriors before they ultimately traded for Jimmy Butler before the 2025 mid-season deadline, and time is further vindicating their decision to pass given the 30-year-old is clearly not suited to being a primary option on a good team.
It may be unfair to pair Porter in the same group as Bridges and Johnson, but the latter two are living proof that no team, especially Golden State with valuable future picks, should be falling for the trap of the Nets lifting the value of a notable forward whose numbers and impact simply won't/hasn't translated to a better team.
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