Nuggets take a chance on Porter Jr.
The first time Michael Porter Jr. actually talked to anyone from the Denver Nuggets was Thursday at the NBA draft. He didn’t think there was any need, and neither did the Nuggets.
The fact that he was available at No. 14 surprised both parties, regardless of Porter’s well- documented back and recent hip issues.
The oft-injured forward thinks he shook hands with someone from the Nuggets after his pro day workout. He said the first time he spoke to someone from the organization was when he was drafted, either the general manager or the owner, he’s not sure who it was.
Still, he made enough of an impression for the Nuggets brain trust to make him the last lottery pick selected on Thursday night.
“I’m not going to lie to you, I was stressed out,” Porter said. “All that stress was overcome by joy the moment I got called, no matter what number it was. It’s been my dream since I was a kid.
“At the end of the day, the draft is a number and I wasn’t going to let an ego get in the way of my joy. I’m happy to be where I’m at and I feel like it’s the perfection situation for me.”
Albeit an unexpected situation.
Everything Porter knew about the Nuggets was hearsay “a great city, a great organization.” He didn’t invest much of his time prior to the draft getting to know the team.
“Honestly, the teams at the very, very top of the draft told me last week I was their guy, they were going to take me,” Porter said. “Then the hip episode happened, and then doctors got involved and they got scared. So once one team gets scared, a lot of them get scared.” That’s how he dropped. Porter also had the back history as a red flag. He played only three games at Missouri, 53 minutes total. He sustained a back injury and had to undergo surgery. Then, the hip happened during the draft process and he cancelled a recent workout.
Knowing some teams considered him a gamble, maybe even a risk, Porter just wanted to go somewhere that believed in him, which is apparently Denver.
“I consider it a blessing,” Porter said, “because maybe the teamI was going to go to at the topwasn’t the right team for me.”
Right or wrong, it will cost him. Porter is guaranteed $2.4million. First pick Deandre Ayton will get at least $6.7 million.
Many fans at Barclays Center wanted Porter to go earlier, specifically ninth. As soon as the New York Knicks were on the clock, chants of Porter’s name broke out. Porter looked over to a crowd of fans on his left and smiled.
Both parties were disappointed when Commissioner Adam Silver announced Kevin Knox’s name instead.
Porter can’t wait to prove every team that passed on him wrong. He’s not concerned about his health. And he plans to show that no one else should be worried either.
Well, except his competitors.
“For me, we’re all in the NBA now,” Porter said. “We’ll see who are the best players, and we’ll see who should have been the top draft picks.”
• Former Duke star Marvin Bagley III was taken with the No. 2 pick by the Sacramento Kings. Bagley was adamant that he was the best player going into the draft and was quick to share that opinion when asked.
“That’s just the type of player I am,” Bagley said during a conference call with reporters. “I’m going to have confidence in my game. I still think I’m the best player in the draft and I stand by that. I put a lot of work into it and I’m glad that I’ll be able to show it with Sacramento.”
Bagley’s positioning had been a topic of debate in the days leading up to the draft, whereas 7-foot-1 center Deandre Ayton of Arizona was almost unanimously viewed as the top overall pick. The Phoenix Suns grabbed Ayton with the No. 1 pick, dropping Bagley to the No. 2 spot with Sacramento.
The Kings drafted another Duke player, Gary Trent Jr., with the 37th overall pick, then traded him to the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for two future second-round selections.
• The Dallas Mavericks are going Euro with their rebuild, the same way they did 20 years ago with Dirk Nowitzki. Dallas moved up two spots in the draft to get Slovenian guard Luka Doncic, who was selected by Atlanta at No. 3 while the Mavericks picked former Oklahoma scoring sensation Trae Young for the Hawks at No. 5 as part of the deal. The Mavericks are also sending a protected first-round pick to Atlanta.
The Mavericks are coming off consecutive losing seasons for the first time in nearly 20 years, back when Nowitzki ended up being the centerpiece of a rebuilding project that led to 12 straight trips to the playoffs and the franchise’s only championship in 2011.
The 19- year- old Doncic will be his teammate, with Nowitzki expected to become the first player in league history to spend all 21 seasons with the same franchise.
SPURS ADMIT LEONARD RELATIONSHIP FRACTURED »
General manager R.C. Buford acknowledges star forward Kawhi Leonard is unhappy with the Spurs. He remains optimistic the relationship can be salvaged.
Leonard has requested a trade fromSan Antonio because he is unhappy after missingmost of last season with a right quadriceps injury. Buford would not comment on “speculation” of a trade demand, but agreed there is a fractured relationship between Leonard and the only franchise he has played for.
“Kawhi and his family mean a lot to the organization and to the community and while none of wish we are where we are, we’re going to do what we can to build the best relationship we can with him,” Buford said Thursday as the Spurs made two late picks in the daft. “We’ll explore all of our options, but the first one would be to do what we can to keep Kawhi as part of our group.”