Michael Porter Jr. says Nuggets should regret letting him go: 'Shouldn't have traded me, man'

The Denver Nuggets' first-round loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves will lead to many questions, but a big one is whether the Nuggets made the right moves over the past year.

Denver tried to retool its team around Nikola Jokic, with one of the bigger moves being acquiring Cam Johnson last offseason. In the process, the Nuggets had to trade Michael Porter Jr. to the Brooklyn Nets, something that seems more questionable in hindsight.

While appearing on a stream with N3on, Porter Jr. gave his insight on the trade and whether he believes he would've made a difference this year. To no surprise, the veteran thinks he could've helped Denver avoid the upset this year.

Here's what Porter Jr. said on Friday night.

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Michael Porter Jr.-N3on stream

Michael Porter Jr. appeared on stream with internet personality N3on on Friday night, and he gave some illuminating insight into his trade from the Nuggets. Porter had a serious shoulder injury at the end of last year, but he played through it when the Nuggets lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round.

"I made myself look really bad because I'm playing through a crazy injury. Can't even lift my arm," he said. "Every time I shot, my shoulder would pop. I'm getting a needle into my shoulder every game."

Then, Denver traded Porter Jr. to the Nets in a deal for Cameron Johnson in the offseason. Porter Jr. went on to have a career-best year, averaging 24.3 points per game, while Johnson's 12.2 points per game were his worst output since 2021-22.

So, as the Nuggets lost to the Timberwolves on Thursday night, Porter believed that Denver downgraded going from him to Johnson.

"Shouldn't have traded me, man," he said.

However, Porter was optimistic about his current team's future as he hopes the team can add some talent this offseason.

Denver's first round loss is the organization's earliest playoff exit since the 2021-22 season, and only the second first-round loss in the Nikola Jokic era.