Nuggets, Nets' Updated Rosters, Salary Cap After Michael Porter Jr.-Cam Johnson Trade

The Brooklyn Nets are trading forward Cam Johnson to the Denver Nuggets in return for Michael Porter Jr. and a 2032 first-round pick, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.

The Nuggets were $65.6 million over the cap and $1.2 million over the first apron before the trade, per Spotrac, and they'll take on Johnson's $21.1 million salary during the 2025-26 season.

ESPN's Bobby Marks noted that with the trade, Denver now has the ability to use most of its $14.1 non-taxpayer midlevel exception.

Here's a look at Denver's updated roster:

• PG: Jamal Murray, Jalen Pickett
• SG: Christian Braun, Julian Strawther
• SF: Cam Johnson, Bruce Brown, Hunter Tyson
• PF: Aaron Gordon, Peyton Watson, Zeke Nnaji, Dario Šarić, DaRon Holmes II
• C: Nikola Jokić

With the addition of Porter, Marks noted that the Nets are projected to be $17 million below the cap.

Here's a look at Brooklyn's roster heading into the 2025-26 season.

• PG: Egor Demin, Nolan Traore, Ben Saraf
• SG: Terance Mann, Keon Johnson, Dariq Whitehead
• SF: Michael Porter Jr., Tyrese Martin
• PF: Noah Clowney, Danny Wolf, Jalen Wilson
• C: Nic Claxton, Drew Timme

With the Nets in the midst of their rebuild, Johnson remained a consistent offensive threat. He averaged a career-high 18.8 points on 47.5 percent shooting, including 39 percent on threes.

In a November loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, he went off and scored 37 points while knocking down nine three-pointers.

Despite his solid production, the clock was ticking on Johnson's future in the Big Apple from the moment the Nets traded Mikal Bridges and signaled they're looking toward the future. Given his age (29) and somewhat sizable salary ($21.6 million), the 6'8" forward was an imperfect fit for those plans.

And in the event Brooklyn wanted to accelerate its timeline, Johnson's contract made him a likely candidate to go because his money would help balance out the salary for a major star. That already happened once before when he was part of the Phoenix Suns' trade package for Kevin Durant.

In a December interview with HoopsHype's Michael Scotto, Johnson expressed his hope to remain with the Nets through the Feb. 6 trade deadline.

"I want to build this," he said. "I really like coach Jordi [Fernández]. I like our staff. I think we're headed in the right direction. I can't tell them exactly what to do and how to proceed. The business will do what the business does. I don't take it personally either way. For me, I'm invested in what we have. It's been exciting to find progress and to see the potential. I want to be here and get this thing really turned around and back to winning basketball. I think we have the group to do it, and I think we have the assets and pieces to do it. Whatever they decide, no hard feelings."

Although he got his wish with regard to the deadline, the Nets ultimately decided that Johnson was more valuable to them as a trade asset.

His floor-spacing ability should immediately translate to Denver, especially since having a stronger roster around him will give him easier looks.

Johnson has proven he can deliver in the postseason as well. In 34 playoff appearances with the Suns and Nets, he averaged 10.2 points and shot 41.6 percent from the perimeter.

While his move to the Nuggets doesn't qualify as a blockbuster deal, he will make a positive impact in their frontcourt.