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May 7, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. warms up before the start of game two of the second round against the Oklahoma City Thunder for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Michael Porter Jr. Opens Up on Nikola Jokic After Nuggets Trade

Originally posted on Denver Nuggets on SI | By Jared Koch | Last updated Sep 24, 2025 9:41 AM ET

Just a few months ago, the Denver Nuggets would make a big shakeup to their starting rotation in the form of trading Michael Porter Jr. to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for another veteran wing in Cameron Johnson.

It was undoubtedly a notable shift in the team structure heading into next season, and a considerable roster decision to kick off the first year of the Nuggets' Ben Tenzer and Jonathan Wallace partnership, leading the way in the front office.

But, with the Nuggets pivoting off of one of their key starting pieces in Porter after six years in Denver, and even winning the title in 2023, the deal makes you wonder whether any calls were made from three-time MVP Nikola Jokic behind the scenes on what he might've desired in any roster changes heading into next season.

Was there a chance Jokic ultimately gave the Nuggets the green light, or even the directive to ship out Porter Jr?

In the mind of Michael Porter Jr. himself, he doesn't see that as the reality with him and his former big.

"Me and Jok' had a dope relationship, man. I don't think [the trade] came from him," Porter said of Nikola Jokic during an interview with Justin Laboy.

"Basically, what happened was after we lost, the head coach was gone, they fired him two to three games before the playoffs. They fired the GM, so a new GM comes in, and I think he just wanted to switch stuff up. "Then the deal came up with Cam [Johnson] but Joker's so laid back, I really don't feel like the owner and the GM really had many conversations."

Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Porter knows that Jokic, as a three-time league MVP and a franchise cornerstone in Denver, likely has the power at his fingertips to play the GM role if he wants to. But, in his mind, the Nuggets star doesn't really like to operate in such a controlling way.

Instead, Porter feels it would be a deal to send him to Brooklyn, which came down to the ambitions and vision the new front office had in store.

"Joker's so humble, he works really hard, but he's not the type of guy to step on people's toes and be super controlling, even though he probably could, and has that power, he doesn't really do that. So, I think it was more the new GM coming in with the owner, they kind of sat down, and they just wanted to go in another direction."

Fast forward a few months, and the Nuggets have a new forward in their starting five in the form of Cam Johnson, while Porter has an opportunity to spread his wings in a new situation, settling with the Nets.

Will it be a move that pays off for Denver? Time will tell, but it looks like Porter has come to accept how the events unfolded during his inevitable eviction this offseason, knowing that Jokic wasn't the one pulling any strings behind the scenes.