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The Los Angeles Lakers have the third-best odds to land Michael Porter Jr. if the Denver Nuggets are to trade him this offseason.<\/p>\n
Online sportsbook Bovada, per NBA Central, has the Golden State Warriors as a +300 favorite to add the sweet-shooting 6-foot-10 Nuggets forward, followed by the Chicago Bulls (+400) and the Lakers. (+600).<\/p>\n
The Orlando Magic (+700), Boston Celtics (+800), Los Angeles Clippers (+900), Portland Trailblazers (+900), Phoenix Suns (+1400) and Toronto Raptors (+1800) are also on the list.<\/p>\n
Porter Jr. hinted at a potential shakeup in Denver after the Nuggets\u2019 second-round loss Oklahoma City Thunder.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone in this locker room means a lot to me,\u201d Porter said, per The Denver Post. \u201cI\u2019m not sure if it\u2019ll be the same exact group next year. But whatever\u2019s next for me, whatever\u2019s next for this team, I know that the guys will be ready for it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael Porter Jr. is Expensive for a Non-3-and-D Wing<\/strong><\/p>\n The Warriors are the odds-on favorites to land Michael Porter Jr. if the Denver Nuggets trade him, according to Bovada.<\/p>\n Porter Jr. was a non-factor in the series as he was limited by a sprained left shoulder. He averaged just 7.4 points on 32.3% field goal shooting and 25% from the 3-point line against the Thunder.<\/p>\n It was a far cry from his regular-season scoring average of 18.2 points on 50.4% field goal shooting and 39.5% from the 3-point line. The six-year veteran has two years left on his five-year, $207 million max deal. He is owed $79 million over the next two seasons.<\/p>\n The Lakers can use Porter\u2019s size and shooting to complement their LeBron James\u2013Luka Doncic duo. But Porter is an expensive wing who doesn\u2019t defend well.<\/p>\n The Lakers have up to $70 million worth of expiring contracts to use in trade this offseason, along with their 2031 first-round pick and five pick swaps.<\/p>\n Rui Hachimura\u2018s expiring $18.3 million contract, along with salary fillers, can get a Porter Jr. deal done. However, their top priority is to look for a starting-caliber center.<\/p>\n Austin Reaves for Star Center?<\/strong><\/p>\n Austin Reaves, Lakers<\/p>\n Austin Reaves is the Los Angeles Lakers\u2019 biggest trade chip to acquire an All-Star big man.<\/p>\n According to Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times, the Lakers will only make their third star Austin Reaves available on one condition.<\/p>\n \u201c[Reaves] is not viewed as \u201cuntradeable\u201d because almost no one in the NBA is untradeable. But if the Lakers are going to trade him for a center, they\u2019re going to want one that is foundationally important \u2014 a build-around type and not a fill-in toward the obvious need they have at center (and will need to address in other ways).<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cIf one of the best centers in the NBA were available, the conversations might be different, but at least now, during the first part of the offseason, that just isn\u2019t the case,\u201d Woike wrote in his LA Times\u2019 Lakers newsletter on Thursday.<\/p>\n Reaves is eligible to sign a maximum of a four-year, $89.2 million contract this summer, which is already a huge raise from his current four-year, $54 million deal. But even that maximum extension the Lakers can offer is below his market value which is why he is expected to decline and hit unrestrictred free agency in 2026.<\/p>\n According to ESPN\u2019s front office insider Bobby Marks, Reaves will be eligible to sign \u201ca contract worth up to 25% of the salary cap\u201d of the Lakers or any team with cap space in the summer of 2026. Marks added that Reaves\u2019 first-year starting salary in that max contract would be a whopping $42.5 million.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Los Angeles Lakers have the third-best odds to land Michael Porter Jr. if the Denver Nuggets are to trade him this offseason. Online sportsbook Bovada, per… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":63427,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-63422","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba"],"yoast_head":"\n