Nets face decision of extending or trading away Michael Porter Jr.

The Brooklyn Nets are in the middle of the Las Vegas Summer League as they’re trying to see what they have in Egor Demin and Mikel Brown Jr. heading into next season. Brooklyn not only has to worry about their younger players, but they also have to consider how they approach the extension process for forward Michael Porter Jr. heading into 2026-27.

“There’s either an extension or a trade. I guess it depends on what one defines as exorbitant. Clearly, he’s not going to get what he’s eligible for,” Brian Lewis of the New York Post said on Porter during his appearance on the “Locked On Nets” podcast with Erik Slater of ClutchPoints. Porter is eligible to sign a four-year, $234 million contract this offseason, but the Nets will have to choose whether the better decision is to extend Porter or to trade him prior to next season’s deadline.

“I don’t think they’re looking to lock themselves in to anything, as you would say, exorbitant and long-term. I think Sean Marks, the GM, values flexibility above almost all things,” Lewis continued. “I think a shorter deal at a lower AAV would probably give them more flexibility and that’s probably what they would prefer. What MPJ would prefer, I’m not sure.”

Porter, 28, is coming off a 2025-26 season in which he averaged 24.2 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game while shooting 46.3% from the field and 36.3% from behind the three-point line. As of this writing, Porter is heading into the last season of his contract that will pay him $40.3 million, but if he goes into next season without an extension, the Nets may decide to trade him at the deadline for as much as they can get.

Porter was the subject of numerous trade rumors last season given that he was playing at a near-All-Star level and there were plenty of teams looking for an upgrade on the wing heading into the postseason. Brooklyn decided to hold on to Porter at the deadline and it sounds like both sides want to come to terms on an extension, but where Porter finishes next season will depend on what happens this summer.

This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Nets face decision of extending or trading away Michael Porter Jr.