DENVER — With sincerity and a sense of humor, Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. discussed his reaction to hearing his name in trade rumors on Monday, reflecting on his career in Denver and saying the front office has told him there’s no interest in trading him at the moment.

That could change, of course. As The Denver Post reported last week, the Nuggets are not eager to make a roster move this far in advance of the NBA trade deadline. Their ideal outcome is to feel confident enough in the direction of the team to not make a mid-season move. But they understand that Porter’s $35.9 million cap figure is the only salary that could yield tangible improvements to the roster if necessary by the time Feb. 6, 2025, rolls around.

Porter understands the ever-changing nature of these situations, too. In his comments on Monday, he addressed that uncertainty by finding levity in it.

“They’ve reached out to me and said it’s all noise, (that) there’s nothing serious going on, and if there was, they would let me know,” the 26-year-old said. “And they’ve said they love how I’m playing and to keep being aggressive, keep playing, and they have no desire to move me right now.”

Then he paused and grinned.

“But I also know that they wouldn’t tell me if they wanted to move me,” he continued, bursting out laughing.

Porter has spent his entire seven-year NBA career with the Nuggets, who drafted him 14th overall in 2018 despite a looming back injury that had sidelined him for the majority of his lone college season. The 6-foot-10 sharpshooter developed into an essential role player on Denver’s 2023 championship team after overcoming three back surgeries. Now in the last two years, he has transformed into a pillar of durability, too. Porter has appeared in 140 of 141 games since the start of the 2023 playoffs. He leads the Nuggets in total minutes played this season, averaging 18.3 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists on 52% shooting and a 39% clip from the 3-point line.

Porter’s name was linked with the Chicago Bulls among other teams last week when The Athletic first reported the Nuggets’ interest in two-time All-Star Zach LaVine, whose salary is $43 million. Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon are ineligible to be traded during this season due to signing restrictions, leaving Porter as the only real headliner Denver is allowed to offer.

“It’s a part of the game. I don’t get frustrated, or I don’t take it personally. I know it’s a part of the business,” Porter said. “I feel like there’s a lot of good players in the NBA, and I’ve been blessed to be here seven years. And the Nuggets took a chance on me, and I’ve been blessed to win a championship here. And I’ve been blessed to develop some great relationships with the coaches and the players, and (I’ve) grown as a player. So when stuff like this comes up, I don’t think I take it personally.

“You have those moments where you’re like, ‘Man, I want to be here,’ or whatever. Whatever thoughts that go through your head. But I think for me, I’ve overcome so much in my life. I’ve gone through so much with my family, I’ve gone through so much personally that little stuff like a trade rumor, I kind of leave that stuff up to God. And I kind of have zero stress about it, because I know wherever I end up, it’ll be meant to be. So I love where I’m at, and I love playing with these dudes, and I think we have a chance to get rolling and do something special.”

Porter has been open about the mental challenges associated with various legal troubles in his family. In April as the Nuggets were preparing for a first-round playoff series against the Lakers, one of his younger brothers, Coban Porter, was sentenced to six years in prison for killing a woman in a 2023 drunk-driving crash. In July, another one of his brothers, Jontay Porter, pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy after being banned for life from the NBA in a gambling scandal.

On the court, MPJ’s surgeries have presented more obstacles. He missed his rookie season and played only nine games in 2021-22 before undergoing the third surgery. Since then, he has turned a corner by adopting a relentless training regimen, and by wearing a brace over his left foot when he plays to account for the impact of his injuries on his leg.

“Michael is the only person in the world, in the history of professional sports, to do what he’s doing right now with that brace,” his friend and strength trainer, Nicodemus Christopher, told The Denver Post recently.

Porter went for 24 points on 10-of-12 shooting in Denver’s 117-90 win over the Suns on Monday night. He stepped up as a secondary scoring option, as he often does when Jamal Murray is out of the lineup. Afterward, he shrugged and smiled when the topic of trade rumors was brought up.

“I think now, things like this, it’s more of just like: It’s out of my control, and I’ve learned how to leave those things up to God, and the things that are out of my control, I try not to stress about them too much,” he said. “And I just try to stay bought in. And this organization took a chance on me, so it’s not like if my name was in trade rumors, I’m going to check out mentally and not try to do my best. That’s kind of how I view the situation.”

©2024 MediaNews Group, Inc. Visit at denverpost.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.