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Michael Porter Jr.: I never lost consistently my whole career until I got to Brooklyn. We were losing a lot. We were young. We were building something, but we’re not there yet. So it was definitely hard, bro. It definitely was hard. But I see the future with the team. I see what we’ve got in the young dudes. I see we have the most money to spend. I think we’ve got the most. We’re the youngest team. Kind of like Oklahoma City — it took them a while to get good. I think that’ll be how it is here. But I’m with it. I want to stay in Brooklyn.
Michael Porter Jr.: I think the reason that I make a lot of money in the NBA, but I still want to do other things, is because most NBA players, and most athletes — or people who have a lot to lose — are like robots. They want to maintain a certain image. They want to not disturb the peace. They want to shut up and dribble. They just want to play their sport, stay out of the way, and whatever. I always wanted to actually have a platform. I wanted to use my platform to actually have an impact and be able to talk about what I want to talk about.
Nets forward Michael Porter Jr. said his personal life took a hit when his ex, former Disney Channel star Madison Pettis, publicly called him a “psychopath.” Porter responded to Pettis’ comments after she opened the floodgates on their relationship during a March appearance on the “In Your Dreams With Owen Thiele” podcast. “That was crazy. I wasn’t feeling that at all because, bro, we dated for what, three months, and nothing happened crazy,” Porter said during a Monday appearance on the “One Night with Steiny” podcast with internet personalities Aaron Steinberg and Celina Powell. “I don’t know why 10 years later she’s getting on a podcast talking about, ‘He’s a psychopath.’ She’s scaring all the jawns away. “But come on, bro, 10 years later, I’m 16 or 17, I don’t even think I lost my virginity yet, dawg. Not til college.”
Michael Porter Jr. is looking for a new home. He’s not leaving the Nets, but he had to vacate his home after the address was made public by an influencer. The Nets forward’s return to the podcast circuit went sideways in an unexpected way after social media influencer Celina Powell entered his home without his consent while he was away and uploaded his address to her more than 3 million followers on her Instagram story, a process known as doxxing.
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NBA Courtside: Michael Porter Jr thinks James Harden is the most unstoppable offensive player of all time: “He changed the game. Him and Steph changed basketball completely. In his prime, people were guarding James from behind him. I’ve never seen that, ever.”
Michael Porter Jr thinks James Harden is the most unstoppable offensive player of all time:
— NBA Courtside (@NBA__Courtside) May 2, 2026
“He changed the game. Him and Steph changed basketball completely. In his prime, people were guarding James from behind him. I’ve never seen that, ever.” pic.twitter.com/B5NAYZhzqQ
NBACentral: MPJ says the Nuggets would have won if they hadn’t traded him “Shouldn’t have traded me.”
MPJ says the Nuggets would have won if they hadn’t traded him
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) May 1, 2026
“Shouldn’t have traded me.” pic.twitter.com/OpdZP7yR71
The 6-foot-5 guard has averaged 5.8 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists for his career. He averaged a career-high 10.3 points per game during the 2019-20 season with the Nets, and career lows (0.8 points, 0.4 assists, 0.4 rebounds) with the Raptors this season. “My son asked my wife, ‘Why is dad always on the bench?’” Temple said. “My wife explained to him, ‘Daddy has played for a long time. So now, the younger guys are really good and it’s their time to play. Do you want to see video of when Daddy was playing a lot?’ So, we pulled up some YouTube clips.”
CJ McCollum, PG (free agent): The 34-year-old McCollum is a decade older than the rest of Atlanta’s core but was also key to the Hawks’ two playoff wins. An unrestricted free agent, he likely will have other suitors who value his scoring, although perhaps not as a starter. I canvassed a few execs on his likely value during my recent travels, and most seemed to think one or two years at slightly above the midlevel exception was a fair ballpark (i.e., two years and $35 million to $40 million). However, with tanking now verboten, a one-year balloon deal from a struggling cap-room team like the Chicago Bulls or Brooklyn Nets can’t be ruled out.
Knueppel helped the Hornets (44-38) finish with a winning record for just the second time in the past decade. Cooper Flagg’s Mavericks (26-56) finished in 12th place in the Western Conference. The Mavericks entered the season with high hopes but had to adjust their expectations after star big man Anthony Davis dealt with calf and hand injuries and was traded to the Washington Wizards in February. “Coming into this year, we all had different expectations in how we thought the year would go,” Flagg said. “But all of that is in the past. I think it’s time to move forward. Continue to grow, continue to get better and have a high outlook on how next year can go. We are just going to put in the work all summer long. I think we’re all excited for it.”
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Denver, of course, will have the right to match any offer sheet that comes Watson's way. League sources have already identified the Lakers, Bulls and Nets as potential suitors that are likely to have the requisite spending power to present an offer sheet that causes angst in the Rocky Mountains. The Stein Line has learned, in fact, that both the Lakers and Bulls registered trade interest in Watson leading up to the in-season deadline for deals on Feb. 5, although it must be noted that Chicago's front office will soon have a new lead voice after the recent ouster of former Nuggets executive Artūras Karnišovas.
Will Guillory: Brooklyn Nets assistant Steve Hetzel has conducted an interview with the Pelicans for their vacant head coaching position, league sources tell @TheAthletic
NBA Communications: The 2025-26 Kia NBA Rookie of the Year Award winner will be revealed tonight at 7 PM ET on Peacock and NBCSN. The three finalists: ▪️VJ Edgecombe, @sixers ▪️Cooper Flagg, @dallasmavs ▪️Kon Knueppel, @hornets
The Stein Line has learned that the Pelicans have begun formal outreach to candidates they plan to pursue in addition to interim coach James Borrego. Sources say names of strong interest from the league's assistant ranks include San Antonio's Sean Sweeney, Milwaukee's Darvin Ham and Brooklyn's Steve Hetzel. As mentioned from the jump, Borrego remains very much under consideration for the position, sources say.