Keeler: Nuggets’ Michael Porter Jr. is untradeable? Untouchable? ‘Completely false,’ Josh Kroenke says.

You d move a kidney stone with less pain than it would take to move Michael Porter Jr s contract Still Josh Kroenke insists that MPJ is AFS As in Available For Sale At least that s what Kroenke noted Monday when I required him about a review claiming the owners of the Nuggets were unwilling to move their talented but mercurial forward supposedly because Josh and Michael Porter Jr both happened to hoop it up at the University of Missouri M-I-Z Tigers For Life Keep the colors flying skyward and all that You know I did see that somewhere Kroenke the Nuggets president revealed of the MPJ kerfuffle And if it wasn t such a serious accusation I would maybe laugh a little harder Yeah but that max deal I think that any kind of description saying that we re not open to trading everybody you know realizable to improve the gang Kroenke continued is a complete falsehood Great so what would it take to And the other thing that I ll say is I don t know where that person got their sources from Kroenke explained But I m surely not going to be greenlighting any trades around here when I don t see complete organizational cohesion and we re not maximizing the group we got There it is Related Articles Renck vs Keeler Who has better chance to win first-round matchup Avs or Nuggets Rockies Journal German Marquez Ryan McMahon trades top list of workable changes Keeler Avalanche captain Gabe Landeskog s return gives Colorado Stanley Cup vibes again Grading The Week Nuggets Nikola Jokic shouldn t have to answer Michael Malone questions Josh Kroenke wouldn t take Keeler DU Pioneers goalie Matt Davis saved best for last in Frozen Four finale Not to rain on social media s parade but I ll believe the Kroenkes are quitting MPJ when I see it They love the dude They love the shot They love the narrative Let s talk about him on a human level and what he s been through Kroenke stressed I mean several back surgeries being communicated he was never going to play again slipping in the NBA draft to a place where we were privileged enough to take a athlete that talented then working through the setbacks that he s had not only on the court with his back but off the court in his personal life as well On a strictly personal level MPJ has a good soul He s also had specific tough tough stuff land on his plate On the occasions when the young man decides to get inside his own head he s prone to vanishing spells Porter s at his best when he s not busy being his own worst enemy The ex-Mizzou standout s also played an average of more regular-season games over the last two years than Jamal Murray has Even if you had no idea what kind of stat line MPJ had coming on a given night when the Nuggets needed him at the startling line he s usually been there And by golly whether you like it or not they need him Right here Right now When MPJ s put up points or more over the last two postseason runs the Nuggets are - When he s held to single digits they re - A playoff coin flip The Lakers last spring were so preoccupied with not getting a Blue Arrow through the heart again they were happy to let MPJ try and beat them He obliged averaging points and boards and draining of his treys Porter looked very much like a max contract athlete doing max things at max moments Unfortunately for well for all of us Minnesota saw the tape from the first round The Timberwolves got in Porter s face from the jump to see how he liked a change in temperature The results were decidedly lukewarm points and rebounds per battle from beyond the arc and a whopping points combined in Games - The Nuggets blew the largest Match lead in franchise history the Wolves stole their mojo the way Gollum stole Frodo Baggins ring and things around Chopper Circle have felt a little disjointed ever since I think we have to be open-minded toward everything Kroenke continued That s competitor trades seeing value in the draft where others might not or perhaps finding a skill set that fits with our roster in a way that other people might not see And so we ve got to be open-minded on all fronts They can start with the frontcourt Porter s carrying a cap hit of million It goes up to million next season then to million in - Open-minded isn t going to be any easier nine months from now So I need to be aware of what s out there how to make this gang better in all facets Kroenke mentioned And so back to my main message This season s not over yet But once the season is over I think we re going to be as open-minded as we ve ever been about everything Alas the NBA isn t just a business It s a cruel one as cutthroat as they come Kroenke was a millionaire willingly falling on several swords Monday a rare trait for the owner class But at the same time Josh fessed up to maybe his greatest weakness as a pro sports CEO letting relationships and friendships cloud his judgment That last part is why he stated he didn t have the heart to can either coach Michael Malone or Calvin Booth last fall even though everybody in a -mile radius knew that relationship had turned toxic And also why he didn t do it at the All-Star break even though the Nuggets were getting fat off the dregs of the league while routinely getting their teeth kicked in by the likes of the Thunder and Cavaliers And it s why Kroenke still wants to maximize the group he s got even though that already happened two years ago and there s no getting that same mojo back with the pieces you ve surrounded Nikola Jokic with Penuriousness may land David Adelman Malone s old job on a full-time basis whether the Nuggets performances warrant it or not The affection for MPJ is as much about sentiment as anything else That s not how you build a dynasty It s how you build the Rockies Want more Nuggets news Sign up for the Nuggets Insider to get all our NBA analysis