NBA Free Agency: Why the Nuggets Made the Michael Porter Jr.-Cam Johnson Swap

This NBA free agency period was unique in that it was never going to be about free agency. Only the Brooklyn Nets had the means to open up meaningful cap space, so 29 other teams had to think creatively about improving their rosters.

When teams have a lot of cap space, it's easy to predict they'll be aggressive in the market. But when no teams have cap space, it's much harder to predict who will dominate the early offseason headlines. It was certainly a surprise to see the Denver Nuggets dramatically reshaping their roster during the first day of free agency.

Shocking First-Day Trade

The Denver Nuggets made one of the most surprising trades of this offseason when they traded Michael Porter Jr. and an unprotected 2032 draft pick to the Brooklyn Nets for Cam Johnson. They also brought back Bruce Brown on a one-year deal.

The Nuggets had just one draft pick available for trade, and they cashed it in quickly. They swapped sharpshooters and saved significant money. It's a move that gives the Nuggets flexibility while also getting them a player who might be an even better fit than Porter Jr.

It came at a hefty price, but it was one the Nuggets had to pay.

Cam Johnson: Ready for Action

The most important part of the Johnson-Porter Jr. swap for the Nuggets is how good Johnson is as a player. All of the financial implications and flexibility are bonuses, but the bonuses wouldn't matter if Johnson wasn't ready to be a major player in his first year with the team.

This is Nikola Jokić's prime, so there's no time for intentional steps backward.

Comparing Playing Profiles

It's hard to imagine the Nuggets getting a better fit for Porter Jr.'s role with the capital they had available to trade. There aren't many players on Porter Jr.'s level as a shooter, but Johnson is one of them.

Porter vs. Johnson Strengths:

Shooting: Both are elite three-point shooters
Overall game: Johnson was slightly better on both sides of the ball last season
Potential: Porter Jr. might still have untapped ability as an on-ball scorer

Porter Jr. might still have untapped ability as an on-ball scorer, but if he was going to get that opportunity in Denver, it would've happened by now. The Nuggets aren't on a timeline that can afford to give Porter Jr. large amounts of on-ball reps every game.

He'll have a bigger opportunity for that in Brooklyn, while Johnson will slot into his role as a shooter, slasher and attacker of closeouts in Denver.

Johnson's Growth

Johnson was asked to shoulder a heavier load on offense last season and impressed by averaging 5.4 more points than he did in 2023-24 while also improving his true shooting percentage from 58.2 to 63.2%. He didn't have to sacrifice any of his scoring efficiency in a higher volume role.

In Denver, he'll be asked to do a lot of scoring as a tip-of-the-spear player, and that plays to his strength. He also improved as a passer last season and makes the right reads while moving the ball, which is a must when playing for the Nuggets.

Defensive Side: Slight Edge to Johnson

Defensively, Johnson is not special, but he's the better of the two players in the trade. Porter Jr. deserves a lot of credit for learning to use his size (6-foot-10) and the help of defenders around him to evolve from a terrible defender to a passable one.

Johnson's Defensive Characteristics:

Versatility: Has size (6-8) and quick-enough feet to guard multiple positions
Average: Reputation and skills align as an average defender
Stability: Won't make a defense worse, but won't dramatically improve it either

Johnson was at one point overrated on the defensive side of the ball because of his "3-and-D" archetype, but he was never a lockdown defender with the Nets. Now his reputation and skills align as an average defender who won't make a defense worse.

Combine that with his offense, and Johnson's greatest strength is that he has no great weakness when he's on the floor.

The Injury Bug: Shared Risk

The qualification "when he's on the floor" is important, because Porter Jr. and Johnson are similar in another more unfortunate way – they both miss a lot of games.

Porter's Injury History

Porter Jr. has a reputation as an oft-injured player, so it might surprise most people to learn he's only missed six games total over the last two seasons. But a Grade 2 shoulder sprain did render him ineffective for a good chunk of the playoffs.

Johnson's Health History

Nuggets fans may be distressed to learn they traded one injury risk for another, as Johnson hasn't played more than 66 games in a season in his career and hasn't hit 60 games in any of the last three seasons.

Johnson's Career Injuries:

Back, hip, ankle, knee, leg issues
Averaging less than 60 games per season

But it's also been a few years since Johnson played for a team contending for a championship. It's possible that if the team was a title contender, his back injury wouldn't have prevented him from suiting up the final seven games of the season.

Newfound Flexibility: Financial Benefits of the Deal

There are some added bonuses to this deal for the Nuggets. Both Johnson and Porter Jr. are signed for the next two seasons, but Porter Jr. makes about $17.3 million more than Johnson in 2025-26 and about $17.8 million more in 2026-27.

The salary savings give the Nuggets options:

Non-taxpayer mid-level exception:

Access to exception allowing them to sign a player for up to $14.1 million starting salary
Nuggets can't use the entire exception without shedding more money
Can use significantly more than the $5.7 million they would've had available before the trade

Trade exception:

$16.8 million for additional trades
Ability to use amount up to the first apron line

Immediate Use of Flexibility

The Nuggets used their new flexibility right away:

Dario Šarić for Jonas Valančiūnas - added $5 million but finally got backup center
Bruce Brown - signed for minimum
Overall result: Three to four new rotation players for the cost of only Porter Jr. and Russell Westbrook

Strategic Analysis: Why It Makes Sense

Short-term Benefits

Better fit: Johnson fits better into Nuggets system
Healthier finances: Significant savings under salary cap
Rotational depth: More quality players in rotation

Long-term Implications

Loss of draft pick: Unprotected 2032 pick is a hefty price
Jokić's prime: Present is more important than future
Flexibility: More options for further improvements

The Price Was High But Necessary

That 2032 pick is valuable for the same reason the Nuggets had to do this deal: Jokić is in his prime now, not in seven years.

The Nuggets have to try to build the best team possible around him while that is still the case, and this early offseason deal was likely their best chance to upgrade the roster while also giving them more optionality moving forward.

Overall Assessment: Smart Move at the Right Time

It's hard not to see this as a clear upgrade for the Nuggets, and that makes it worth the heavy price of the 2032 unprotected pick. This trade shows the organization's aggressive approach to maximizing Jokić's window.

Key Success Factors:

Johnson must stay healthy for at least 55 games
Integration into Nuggets system
Utilization of new financial flexibility

Bottom line: The Nuggets sacrificed future for present, which is the right approach when you have the world's best player in his prime years.

Conclusion: The Denver Nuggets made a bold but logical move by swapping Porter Jr. for Johnson. They gained a better fit, financial flexibility, and the ability to improve their rotation - all crucial for maximizing Jokić's championship window.

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