Michael Porter Jr. confesses major regret of first season with Nets

Michael Porter Jr. turned in a career-best season following his trade to the Brooklyn Nets. While the star forward turned heads as the Nets’ No. 1 offensive option, he has one regret about his 2025-26 campaign.

“One thing I regret is that once I didn’t make that All-Star game, I kind of let my foot off the gas because there really wasn’t anything we were playing for anymore,” Porter said on The Road Trippin podcast. “We couldn’t make the playoffs, I couldn’t be an All-Star, so I let my foot off the gas. I wasn’t in the weight room as much, I wasn’t preparing as much, and my three-point percentage dropped.”

Porter firmly planted himself in the All-Star conversation during the first half of the season. The 6-foot-10 forward averaged 25.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists on 48.2 percent shooting from the field and 39.8 percent from three across 38 appearances to start the year.

The Nets were 7-3 in games Porter played in December. He averaged 28.3 points per game, the 10th-most in the NBA, while shooting 51.5 percent from the field and 47.5 percent from three during the month.

Michael Porter Jr. reveals regret about first season with Nets

Yet, Porter’s performance wasn’t enough to earn him his first All-Star nod, as the NBA coaches selected Pascal Siakam, Brandon Ingram and Norman Powell as the final few Eastern Conference reserves. His play dropped off precipitously following the snub.

Porter averaged 20.5 points and 2.6 assists on 40.9 percent shooting from the field and 25.6 percent from three across 14 appearances after the All-Star reserves were announced. The Nets were 2-14 in games he played during that span, with the star forward posting a -18.4 net rating.

It remains to be seen whether Porter’s late-season struggles will factor into the Nets’ thought process during extension talks this summer. The soon-to-be-28-year-old is entering the final year of his contract at $40.8 million.

Porter said at his exit interview that he hopes to remain with the Nets long-term.

“If it was up to me, I would love to sign an extension with this franchise,” Porter said. “I feel like the guys mesh. We have great vibes, great energy in the locker room, and to be a part of something that is building in a positive way with positive momentum, that would be awesome. I would love to spend many, many years in Brooklyn and make this my home and build and watch this franchise take off because we saw glimpses of it this year. Terance Mann actually sent me a little breakdown of that stretch when we were winning a lot of games and the basketball we were playing. We have a lot, and there were a lot of positives. Front-office wise, they have the ability to make some moves and make us even better. If the goal is to win, which we all know it is, then I would love to make this my home.”

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