The Brooklyn Nets will have plenty of decisions to make as they continue to navigate the current rebuild until they get to the point where they can reasonably compete for a playoff spot. Brooklyn will be hoping that veteran forwards Michael Porter Jr. and Julius Randle can lead the way for the rest of the young players, but the Nets have an interesting decision to make regarding Porter.
"Besides the internal development of a league-high eight players on first-round rookie contracts, there are questions on the future of Porter," Bobby Marks wrote on the Nets and Porter for ESPN. Porter is eligible for a contract extension from now until the end of the season, but Brooklyn has to evaluate whether they want to extend him and if they do, for how
long and for how much money.
"After averaging a career high 24.2 points per game last season, Porter is in the final year of his contract and eligible to sign a four-year extension," Marks continued on Porter. "The decision will play a significant role in the Nets' flexibility next summer." As Marks alluded to, Porter is eligible to extend for up to four years and up to $234 million, but most around the league don't expect him to get the max amount of money.
Porter, 28, is coming off the best season of his career as he averaged 24.2 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game while shooting 46.3% from the field and 36.3% from behind the three-point line. While Porter and general manager Sean Marks seemed like they wanted to continue the partnership after how last season went, but both sides still have to evaluate all of their options before moving forward.
If Porter does not sign an extension before the regular season begins on Oct. 21, it's likely that Porter will be traded at the February deadline so that the Nets do not walk away with nothing. Time will tell if Porter and the Nets are able to come to terms on an extension, but no matter what the result of the negotiations is, Brooklyn has to weigh that decision within the context of their rebuild.
This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: How big of a decision do the Nets have with Michael Porter Jr.?
