NEW YORK (AP) — The Brooklyn Nets are trading Cam Johnson to the Denver Nuggets for Michael Porter Jr. and a first-round draft pick, a person with knowledge of the details said Monday.
The swap of forwards shortly after free agency opened sends Johnson back to the Western Conference, where he helped Phoenix reach the 2021 NBA Finals, two years before Porter helped the Nuggets win the title.
The Nets will receive the Nuggets' 2032 first-round pick in the deal, which the person confirmed to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because there was no official announcement. It was first reported by ESPN.
Johnson averaged a career-high 18.8 points in 57 games last season. The Nets acquired him when they sent Kevin Durant to the Suns at the 2023 trade deadline and there was speculation throughout the season he could be dealt to a contender by a Brooklyn team that is rebuilding.
The Nets had already dealt away Mikal Bridges, Johnson's close friend who came with him in the Durant deal, to the Knicks last summer in a trade that netted them five first-round picks.
Now they get another one along with Porter, who averaged 18.2 points in 77 games, all starts, last season. But he injured his shoulder in a scramble for a loose ball in the first round of the playoffs and struggled with his shot in Denver's seven-game loss to eventual champion Oklahoma City in the Western Conference semifinals.
Porter slid to Denver at No. 14 in the 2018 NBA draft due to a back ailment that derailed his college career at Missouri. He sat out his first season in Denver after undergoing a back procedure in July 2018.
He has averaged 16.2 points in his six NBA seasons and signed a five-year maximum extension with the Nuggets in 2021. Now it's a chance at a fresh start for Porter, whose two younger brothers have gone through legal trouble, with Porter saying last season he relied on his teammates to make sure he stays strong.
Former Toronto Raptors reserve Jontay Porter was banned by the NBA after an investigation found he disclosed confidential information to sports bettors and bet on games in violation of league rules. Coban Porter, a former guard at the University of Denver, was sentenced in April 2024 to six years in prison for killing a 42-year-old woman in a drunken-driving crash.
___
AP Sports Writer Pat Graham in Denver contributed to this report.
___
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA
Brian Mahoney, The Associated Press
