Michael Porter Jr., Denver Nuggets
There may be some that will end up disagreeing with me but I do believe that if the Denver Nuggets move forward with trading Michael Porter Jr., it could end up being the one move that leads to plenty of NBA Trade Deadline chaos. If the Nuggets do end up trading MPJ, it will almost certainly be in a huge blockbuster deal. On top of that, it would mean that the Nuggets are making a pretty big change to their championship core. While I still have my doubts about whether the Nuggets would make such a big move in-season, I also don't believe it's something that could be considered completely off the table as a possibility.
The argument for trading MPJ is pretty simple. The Nuggets might need a reshuffling of their core and trading MPJ is probably the easiest way to go about that. You keep the dynamic duo of Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic together while adding a different piece to the puzzle. However, it would still prove to be a difficult task for the Nuggets to accomplish in the middle of a season. That's the biggest reason why I have my concerns about such a big move for a Denver team that is not that bad at the moment.
What teams could realistically be interested in Michael Porter Jr.: One other thing that could complicate a potential trade of MPJ is the fact that his market could be difficult to understand. Because of his expensive contract (2 years, $78 million left after this season), it's hard to envision a team that believes it's an MPJ acquisition away from emerging as the team they want to be at the NBA Trade Deadline. And if MPJ's contract is viewed as a negative or even a neutral asset, it puts the Nuggets in an impossible situation.
In theory, any middling team or young team on the rise could be interested in a move for MPJ. While he certainly has his faults as a player, he's still one of the most dynamic offensive players in the league and has proven he can play a strong role for a championship-contending team over the last few seasons.