Nuggets want to sell Porter Little! Big contract becomes hot potato, Warriors and Lakers become potential takeover

The NBA playoffs are in full swing, but the defending champion Denver Nuggets has been trading rumors. On May 21 local time, several local Denver media exposed sharp news that the team's main striker Michael Porter Jr. is likely to change his camp this summer, and his big contract has become a "hot potato" that the Nuggets management is eager to get rid of.

The 2.08-meter forward player has a maximum salary of US$36 million (about RMB 260 million) this season, and his salary will soar to 38.3 million and over US$40 million in the next two years. But according to the league's new labor agreement, teams cannot pay this level of salary for non-top stars. The cruel reality is that 25-year-old Porter's average of 9.1 points per game in the playoffs is obviously not worthy of his All-Star salary.

"He is like a priceless antique vase, looking beautiful but with limited practical effects. " Senior basketball analyst Mark Thompson commented, "Potter Jr.'s fatal shortcomings have never improved. He still walks with coffee, and is like a wooden stake when defending. Although three points can make three points rain, you can't expect to eat all over the world with one move, right? "

The crisis that the Nuggets Salary Bomb is about to detonate is much more than that. With Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon signing a contract renewal of 100 million yuan, and Jokic's 5-year, super top salary of 270 million yuan, the team's salary space has been squeezed to its limit.

Las Vegas' latest odds confirm this conjecture: Golden State Warriors lead the battle with +300, with Chicago Bulls (+400) and Los Angeles Lakers (+600) following closely behind. Eastern teams such as Magic and Celtics are also watching closely, while the Clippers and the Trail Blazers tied for the sixth pick.

For the Nuggets who are determined to defend their title, sending away Porter Jr. not only frees up salary space to sign practical role players, but also creates a more balanced lineup for Jokic. But how to find a pick without losing the draft pick will become the biggest headache for general manager Booth this summer. This big bet about the future of the defending champion is perhaps more exciting than the ongoing playoffs.