Otto Porter’s free agency is almost underway. When healthy, he was quite a valuable asset for Steve Kerr and the Golden State Warriors, helping them win their fourth ring in the past eight seasons. They were a whopping plus-109 on the limited minutes he was on the court.
Otto Porter free agency
Signing Otto Porter Jr. will always come with the risk of injury. But he’s a long, athletic 3-and-D wing and every single playoff team is always looking to add a couple of those. So, let’s break down how much money he could be looking at and the best potential destinations for him.
Otto Porter’s contract projection and fits
Otto Porter Jr. played under a one-year, $2,389,641 veteran minimum contract last season. He’s likely to sign another short-term, veteran minimum deal projected at $2,606,326 for the upcoming campaign.
He’s already made $126,516,877 throughout his nine-year NBA career, so he may prioritize winning another championship and playing for a contender rather than fetching more money somewhere else.
5. Lakers
You better believe the Los Angeles Lakers will be all over him. Every team with LeBron James on board will always look to bring in quality veterans and shooters, especially if they come at a big discount. Needless to say, Otto Porter Jr. checks all those boxes.
The Lakers don’t have much cap space and will be quite limited in the market. But there’s always big appeal in playing for the purple and gold and side by side with The King. He could even slide to the starting lineup if Anthony Davis reluctantly plays the five. Either way, he’d have plenty of wide-open shots with Russell Westbrook‘s drives.
4. Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers made a low-key huge move by signing John Wall. Even if he’s just a shell of the player he once was, putting him next to Kawhi Leonard and Paul George makes them even better. Barring injury, they should be one of the strongest teams in the Western Conference.
Tyronn Lue has proven to be an excellent coach. Steve Ballmer is running the Clippers like a top-tier organization, and he’d get to stay in California. The Clippers are stacked and having Leonard, George, Porter, and Robert Covington would give them one of the most switchable and suffocating defenses in the league.
3. Bulls
Otto Porter’s free agency could take him all the way back to the Windy City. He didn’t work out for the Chicago Bulls in his first stint with the team but he might well be just what the doctor ordered for them right now: A defensive-minded forward who can switch and guard multiple spots while also knocking down three-pointers.
Porter Jr. spent most of his time injured when he was in Chicago. He collected a huge paycheck and never played more than 25 games in a season, so maybe the fans and front office aren’t that high on him. But he’s healthy now and could give them a big hand.
2. Celtics
The Boston Celtics are fresh off a trip to the NBA Finals, so it’s not like they have multiple areas of improvement. But as we already mentioned, you can never have too many 3-and-D players, and they could use more shooters in their lineup.
The Celtics’ offense was stagnant at best through stretches. His presence on the perimeter would allow both Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum to get more open looks as they drive to the rim. Also, he’s a hard-working guy who’ll put his body on the line just like Ime Udoka likes.
1. Warriors
And last but not least, going back to the Golden State Warriors might make the most sense for Otto Porter Jr. They’re looking to bring him, Kevon Looney, Gary Payton II, Andrew Wiggins, and Nemanja Bjelica back. And why not? They just won a ring!
Working out the numbers could be complicated, especially with Jordan Poole‘s looming contract extension. But Porter allowed Steve Kerr to deploy multiple lineups thanks to his size and versatility. He found a new home there, so why leave?