Anonymous NBA GM believes Michael Porter Jr. would fix shooting woes for Lakers
The LA Lakers are headed into a crucial offseason after last month's first-round playoff exit. After the team's many problems were highlighted during the regular season and postseason, one NBA general manager thinks that the Denver Nuggets’ Michael Porter Jr. might be the solution for Los Angeles' shooting woes.
According to Orel Dizon of Lakers Daily, an anonymous Eastern Conference executive said that Porter can solve the Lakers' shooting problem and make them a contender again in the West next season.
“If they want to get better, that is who they’d go after,” the general manager said. “They need a gunner who is not afraid to shoot, and they’d be much better off if he can be a 3-4 like LeBron (James), if he is not a size mismatch. A knockdown shooter who creates space, that’s the first step to getting them back to contender status again.”
Porter has gained respect around the league and certainly from LeBron James, who said on his podcast, “Mind The Game,” that it was Porter who had defeated his team. Porter's two most successful series came in the last two times LeBron James' team faced the Nuggets in the playoffs.
In the 2022-23 Western Conference finals, Porter averaged 15.0 points and shot 3.5 3-pointers per game. But Porter became the real assassin of the Lakers in the opening round of the 2023-24 postseason, averaging 22.8 ppg on 55.3% shooting, including 48.8% from beyond the arc, in five games.
This season, the Purple and Gold were the second-worst team in the league in 3-point shooting at just 29.9%. They were also the worst team in 3-point shooting in the playoffs. Given Porter’s elite shooting from beyond the arc, he can certainly solve a lot of the team’s shooting problems.
Can the Lakers acquire Michael Porter Jr. this offseason?
The Lakers' ability to land Michael Porter Jr. in any trade scenario seems thin. The Nuggets forward won his first NBA title with the team only last season. Porter has quickly ascended to the Nuggets' starting lineup and made a significant impact on the team.
There's a low chance that the Nuggets would want to part ways with him. The vice-versa also seems unlikely given how the team gave him a five-year, $179 million rookie extension in 2021. He's under contract through 2026-27.
However, the Nuggets' Western Conference semifinal series loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves can prove to be lucky for the Lakers. Perhaps going into this offseason, the Nuggets would let go of Porter and make space for signing good role players. Los Angeles can either capitalize on that or hope that Porter is unhappy in Denver after a bad series against the Timberwolves.