Michael Porter Jr.'s ties with Kroenke family deciding factor in Nuggets future 

Leading up to the NBA trade deadline, reports suggested that Michael Porter Jr. could be on his way out of Denver. With Denver locked to the trio - Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon trio - rumors surfaced about the franchise planning to trade the versatile scorer - the only trade-eligible player earning over $9 million.

Instead, Nuggets coach Michael Malone poured cold water on the idea, with Denver reporter Matt Moore stating that the Nuggets ownership also was against the move.

Now, per The Stein Line's Jake Fischer, there's a reason that Denver's upper echelon doesn't want to part ways with Porter Jr. Fischer wrote in a paid post on Saturday that because of the shared connection to Missouri, it seems highly unlikely that ownership "ever" approves a deal to trade Michael Porter.

While Porter Jr. checks many of the boxes that the Denver Nuggets would be looking for in a potential trade, namely perimeter shooting, the fact remains that in addition to needing more high-volume perimeter shooters, the Nuggets desperately need to bolster their defense.

While the team is fourth in 3-point shooting percentage, Denver ranks dead last for 3-pointers attempted per game.

Similarly, the team is ranked 21st for defensive efficiency this season, which has some fans concerned about its chances of a deep playoff run.

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"He saw that we weren't having fun," - Michael Porter Jr. opens up on Josh Kroenke's message to the team in the wake of Michael Malone's firing

Although Michael Malone - the winningest coach in franchise history - stood behind Michael Porter Jr. leading up to the NBA Trade Deadline, ownership wasn't happy with how Malone was coaching the team.

After dismissing Malone this week, owner Josh Kroenke spoke in a video shared by the team's social media accounts about the decision, saying that underlying issues have plagued the team all season long.

As Michael Porter Jr. told members of the press following Denver's win over the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday - which snapped a four-game skid for the team in interim coach David Adelman's first win - the ownership could see that the underlying issues were beginning to wear on the team:

“He said he saw that we weren’t having fun and that he saw we weren’t playing as hard as we could. So he wanted to come in here and help reestablish that as the basis of our culture.”

The Nuggets have since responded by winning back-to-back games, most recently picking up a pivotal 117-109 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday in Jamal Murray's first game back since Mar. 26.

With Denver currently tied for fourth in the West alongside the LA Clippers, only time will tell whether the team can make a postseason push with its current roster.