Ties To Missouri Could Keep Michael Porter Jr. In Denver Long-Term

As Michael Porter Jr. finishes up year seven in Denver, all signs point to a long-term stay with the Nuggets.

To avoid the second apron of the salary cap, the Nuggets invested heavily in their star core—Porter Jr., Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and Aaron Gordon—each making at least $22.8 million this season. Only Zeke Nnaji and Dario Saric make more than Russell Westbrook’s $3.3 million veteran minimum salary.

Porter Jr.’s $35.9 million makes him a plausible trade chip if Denver wants to free up cap space, but the Kroenke family isn’t open to the idea of moving him.

“The Kroenkes have a fondness for Porter that stems from deep ties to their shared alma mater: Missouri,” according to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line. “Sources with knowledge of Denver’s thinking have maintained for some time that they struggled to envision ownership ever approving a deal that would send Porter away from the franchise.”

The Nuggets selected Porter Jr. with the 14th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft after playing just three games at Missouri because of a back injury. He missed all of his first season before making his debut in 2019.

Nuggets owner Stan Kroenke has strong ties to Missouri, where he grew up and earned both his undergraduate and graduate degrees from the state’s university. His son Josh, now the team’s president, played 122 games for Missouri between 1999 and 2004 and was part of the Tigers’ Elite Eight team in 2002.