The Brooklyn Nets aren’t slamming the door on a Michael Porter Jr. extension, but they’re not treating it like a fire drill either.
General manager Sean Marks made that much clear when asked about Porter’s future, and his message was simple: Brooklyn has room to think. “We’ll have those discussions,” Marks said, per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.
“We’ve got time. There's no immediate hurry right now.
We value him a lot. He had a terrific year.
I love Mike, the guy, the person, the player, and I hope he is part of this team.”
That patience comes with a clock attached. Porter has just one year left on his contract, which means the Nets will need to settle on his long-term status by next February. With several of the team’s key pieces still early in their development, Brooklyn may prefer to let the season play out before committing to a veteran on a new deal.
Still, Porter is one of the few steady forces on the roster. Even as the Nets struggled, the 2023 NBA champion put together a career season in Brooklyn, averaging 24.2 points, 7.1 rebounds and 3.0 assists while shooting 46.3 percent from the field in 52 games.
The Julius Randle addition has changed the conversation around the Nets’ direction, and it could also affect Porter’s production. His numbers may not stay at that level with Randle in the mix, but Brooklyn is at least positioned to be better.
For now, Marks gets to watch how it all fits together. At some point, though, the decision comes due, and the Nets will have to choose what Michael Porter Jr. means to their next move.
In Other News...
Nets Young Core Makes Loud Summer Statement In Blowout Of Kings
The Nets summer group did more than just win a July game against Sacramento, it announced itself early and then kept the pressure on. Egor Dmin set the tone with 16 points in the first period and was already up to 20 by halftime, while Mikel Brown Jr. and Drake Powell gave Brooklyn more of the kind of balanced scoring and activity teams hope to see from a young roster trying to sort out its next layer of talent.
Brooklyn never really let the Kings breathe after that opening push, and the result was a blowout that felt as much about pace and poise as it did about shot-making. Sacramento had its own bright spot in Darius Acuff, who led all scorers with 26 points and added five assists, but the bigger question for the Nets is whether this kind of summer showing can carry over once the games start to count and the competition gets a lot less forgiving. [Read more 🡒]
The Nets Have One Problem They Must Solve Before 2027
Brooklyns offseason has already brought a different look, with Julius Randle and Mikel Brown Jr. headlining the additions as the Nets start shaping a roster aimed at the 2027 season. The front office has clearly tried to add more talent, but the bigger question is whether those moves can help lift an offense that struggled badly a year ago and never found enough consistency to keep pace.
The most obvious issue remains the shot profile. Brooklyn took plenty of 3s last season, but the results were far too often empty possessions, and the teams perimeter efficiency dragged down the rest of the attack. If the Nets are going to move from rebuilding mode toward the postseason conversation, improving that one area may matter as much as any individual addition. [Read more 🡒]
Nets Guard Nolan Traore Offers Encouraging Injury Update
Nolan Traores summer has been more about the training room than the court, but the early signs around the Nets guard are still encouraging. Brooklyn has been monitoring his recovery closely after he was held out of summer league action, and the organization has continued to frame his rehab as moving in the right direction.
Sean Marks said Traore is expected to be ready for training camp in the fall, which matters because the rookie guard is in the mix for minutes at point guard when the season opens. With Mikel Brown Jr. and Ben Saraf also in that competition, Traores availability could shape how quickly Brooklyn sorts out its backcourt rotation. [Read more 🡒]