Sean Marks has a plan. Whether that plan includes Michael Porter Jr. at a massive number remains the open question in Brooklyn right now.
The Nets general manager made it clear this week that extension talks with Porter are coming. But he also made it clear he’s not in any kind of hurry. And in the NBA, when a GM says he’s not in a hurry about a 28-year-old coming off his best season, that usually means one of two things: leverage or a trade.
“We’ll have those discussions. I think we’ve got time. There’s no immediate hurry right now with Mike,” Marks said. “We value him a lot. He had a terrific year last year, arguably his best year as a pro.”
Porter averaged 24.2 points, 7.1 rebounds and 3.0 assists while shooting 46.3% from the field and 36.3% from three. His plus-9.8 offensive rating swing ranked seventh among every NBA player who logged over 1,000 minutes. That’s not just good. That’s borderline star production on a team that wasn’t exactly loaded with it.
But here’s the problem. Porter is entering the final year of his contract at $40.8 million. He became eligible for a four-year, $234 million extension back in July. Realistically, nobody thinks he’s getting that full number. But what does a realistic number even look like for him now?
League sources told ClutchPoints that Brooklyn is unlikely to offer Porter a long-term deal at his current salary. That makes sense given where this team is. The Nets just traded for Julius Randle. They signed Keon Ellis and Moe Wagner in free agency. They have about $11.8 million in cap space. They are not one piece away. They are still figuring out who they are.
One creative path, reported by Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron, would involve raising Porter’s salary to his 30% max this season (roughly $49.5 million), then dropping the first year of an extension by up to 40%. That would net Porter an extra $8.7 million right now. The Nets could then extend him at something closer to $30 million annually for the next two seasons. A contract like that gives Brooklyn flexibility and a trade chip if things go sideways.
Marks isn’t pretending there’s pressure to close this thing fast.
“No. Any time you’re in a hurry, that’s when people make mistakes,” he said. “We’ve got a well-thought-out plan here over not only the last couple of years but the couple of years ahead. We’re gonna try and find who the next Nets are gonna be.”
Porter, for his part, has made it clear he wants to stay.
“If it was up to me, I would love to sign an extension with this franchise,” he said back in April. “I feel like the guys mesh. We have great vibes, great energy in the locker room.”
The next few weeks will tell us whether the front office shares that feeling. If they do, expect a deal somewhere in that $30 million range. If they don’t, Porter becomes one of the more interesting trade candidates before next year’s deadline. Either way, Marks isn’t blinking first.
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