NBA players returned back to their teams this week for training camp ahead of the 2021-22 NBA season next month. For Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr., the year is already off to an incredible start.
Porter Jr. reportedly agreed to a five-year, max contract extension with the Nuggets on Monday afternoon, according to ESPN insider Adrian Wojnarowski. The deal worth $172M unless he reaches the designated max criteria and is named to one of the league’s three All-NBA teams next year.
If that’s the case, Porter Jr. could earn up to $207 million on his new contract.
The former No. 14 overall pick becomes the fourth player in the 2018 draft class to sign a max contract, joining Luka Doncic, Trae Young and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as those who have signed their rookie extensions.
Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr., has agreed on a five-year designated max extension that could be worth up to $207 million, his agent Mark Bartelstein of @PrioritySports tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 27, 2021
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Porter Jr., who was once regarded as a potential top-five pick, finally came into his own this past year with the Nuggets. The 6-foot-10 forward proved that he could be an elite scorer at all three levels and put the ball in the basket in a variety of ways. In 61 regular season games, he averaged 19.0 points and 7.3 rebounds per game, while shooting 44.5 percent from beyond the arc.
Many around the NBA world applauded Porter on Monday for signing the max contract extension. After a serious injury sidetracked his college career and questions about his health led to a massive fall in the 2018 draft, the 23-year-old put in a significant amount of work to earn this new deal.
Yesssiiirrr! #PureSweatFam https://t.co/SFmNE1qliD
— Drew Hanlen (@DrewHanlen) September 27, 2021
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WOW…. I mean, I’m not sure I’d have done that. But… I get it https://t.co/0KFkqcMEPH
— ‘Nata Edwards (@NataTheScribe) September 27, 2021
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Oh hell yeah. https://t.co/QM5r1gUqiM
— Tyler Maun (@TylerMaun) September 27, 2021
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MPJ joins Luka Doncic, Trae Young, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as 2018 draftees to get the full boat—pretty rad, considering the back issues that caused him to slip in the draft and miss his entire would-be rookie season. https://t.co/5VpbawhKh3
— Dan Devine (@YourManDevine) September 27, 2021
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no-brainer decision for the nuggets. https://t.co/AEwVEXlTaN
— bomani (@bomani_jones) September 27, 2021
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That’s big money for MPJ. Nuggets are gonna be dropping serious coin starting next year. https://t.co/AW0iyQTBAU
— Evan Barnes〽️ (@evan_b) September 27, 2021
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A handful of NBA fans and media members were skeptical of Denver’s decision to offer Porter a max deal, but given his production last year and his upward trajectory, he’s become in-disposable for the Nuggets. Although he still has a ways to go to live up his new contract and prove that he can be the third piece of the puzzle alongside Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, Denver clearly thinks the 23-year-old forward can develop into a star.
Time will tell if Porter proves the Nuggets right.
The post NBA World Reacts To The Michael Porter Jr. News appeared first on The Spun.
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