The Golden State Warriors reportedly discussed a Michael Porter Jr. trade with the Brooklyn Nets prior to February's mid-season deadline, but any renewed interest in the star forward should only occur if Draymond Green opts into his $27.6 million player option for next season.
As things currently stand, the Warriors would have to include the injured Jimmy Butler in a trade with the Nets, something Mike Dunleavy Jr. and the franchise should be avoiding at all costs.
Warriors can only revisit Michael Porter Jr. trade if Draymond opts in
According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype on Wednesday, the Warriors were close to giving up a first-round pick for Porter who enjoyed a career-best season behind far more offensive opportunity at the Nets.
"Porter Jr., who turns 28 on June 29th, drew trade interest from teams, including the Golden State Warriors, as the deadline neared. The Warriors considered parting with a first-round pick for Porter Jr. hours before the deadline," Scotto wrote.
Golden State could theoretically trade Butler and a first-round pick for Porter and Terrence Mann, the latter of whom was also mentioned in Scotto's report as a potential moving piece. The issue with that is the Warriors are giving up the better player, but would also need to give up the pick given Butler has little use to the Nets (or any team for that matter right now given his injury).
The only way the Warriors should be revisiting a Porter trade is if Green opts into his player option, giving them a potential trade package of the former Defensive Player of the Year, Moses Moody and a first-round pick.
That would be a genuine upgrade for Golden State, offering them another scoring option to propel a lacklustre offense before Butler returns from injury. Losing Green would be heart-breaking, but reports of their activity before the deadline suggests they've certainly considered moving on from the franchise legend.
Draymond Green knows he's a trade candidate if he opts in
This exact scenario proves why Green is far more likely to opt out of his contract and seek a new multi-year deal with the Warriors that also benefits the franchise by lowering his annual salary.
Green knows he's going to be a trade candidate if he opts into his contract, and while the 4x All-Star won't have much value within himself, attaching a first-round pick or two could grant Golden State an upgrade that proves worthwhile.
Porter would be the worthwhile upgrade in this scenario, but the likelihood of Green opting in makes the chances of the Warriors landing the former Denver Nuggets forward very remote entering the offseason.
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