NBA GM Says Nets Landed 'Prized' 2032 Nuggets Pick After MPJ Trade with Nuggets
There's a belief within the NBA that the Denver Nuggets' unprotected 2032 first-round pick, which the team sent to the Brooklyn Nets as part of the Michael Porter Jr. trade, could prove to be quite valuable.
"That was a prized asset they gave up," one general manager told ESPN's Tim Bontemps and Brian Windhorst. "Teams have been eyeing that one to see if they'd actually use it."
On Monday, the Nuggets sent Porter and the 2032 pick to the Nets in exchange for Cam Johnson.
The swap also took $34 million off Denver's payroll over the next two years and brought the team out of the luxury tax for the 2025-26 season, per Bontemps and Windhorst.
While the Nuggets wanted to gain some financial flexibility and add a more well-rounded forward to maximize their contending window with superstar center Nikola Jokić, the Nets are looking towards the future.
Jokić will be 37 years old once the 2032 draft rolls around, while standout point guard Jamal Murray will be 35 years old. Denver can find ways to build around both players or potentially trade them for younger stars, but there's a lot of uncertainty surrounding the team's ability to field a competitive roster seven years from now.
If the Nuggets fall into the lottery, the Nets will own the rights to the pick no matter where it ends up.
Brooklyn has focused on acquiring future assets throughout the offseason. The Nets added Drake Powell, the No. 22 overall pick in the 2025 NBA draft, as part of a three-team deal that was headlined by the Boston Celtics sending Kristaps Porziņģis to the Atlanta Hawks.
Brooklyn is also reportedly expected to add more draft capital as part of the massive seven-team swap that included Kevin Durant being moved from the Phoenix Suns to the Houston Rockets.
The Nuggets are looking to capture their second championship with Jokić and Murray after moving Porter, as the Nets obtained a key future draft choice.
