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Tuesday will be an important day to watch in the Nets‘ extension negotiations with Michael Porter Jr., writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. As we noted earlier this week, August 11 is exactly six months from the 2027 trade deadline. That means if Brooklyn plans to give Porter a raise of at least 5% or a contract covering more than two additional seasons while preserving his 2026/27 trade eligibility, the deal will have to be completed within the next three days. The same six-month restriction will also be imposed if Porter’s contract is renegotiated.

Porter was outstanding in his first season with the Nets, averaging a career-high 24.2 PPG in 52 games, so it’s possible they’ll want to hold onto him if an extension is reached and maybe even make him part of the foundation as they rebuild. That prospect is risky when he talks about retiring early, Lewis notes, as he did this week during an appearance on the “Girls, Disrupted” podcast.

“When we start having kids, I don’t want other people really raising my kids,” Porter said. “But the thing is, I don’t want to play basketball for 10 more years. I want to be done in the next five, six years. So then, during that time, I’m fine being home a lot. I’m a chill dude. I want to raise my kids.”

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

• Although the Kawhi Leonard trade to the Raptors remains on hold until an investigation into an alleged “no-show” endorsement deal is completed, league sources tell Michael Grange of SportsNet that there’s a belief that the fact-finding stage of the process is done. He adds that all parties, including the Clippers and the NBPA, which is monitoring events to see if Leonard faces any consequences, are “working quietly” to resolve the issue. Grange expects a settlement soon that will allow Leonard to play in Toronto.
• Josh Hart‘s reduction in minutes — going from a league-high 37.6 in the final year playing for Tom Thibodeau to 30.2 in his first season with Mike Brown — resulted in improved efficiency, Kristian Winfield of The New York Daily News states in a subscriber-only piece. Stefan Valdes, a personal trainer for the Knicks swingman, talked to Winfield about the change and about how he has been able to keep Hart on the court after he struggled to stay healthy earlier in his career. “I would say no matter how many minutes he plays, he’s going to give you the same output — but he had fresher legs,” Valdes said. “So fresher legs allow his body to be more efficient. That’s why he averaged 41 percent from 3 (this year) compared to 33 percent the year before when he was playing so many minutes. So you have fresher legs. You’re taking just as many shots, but you’re making more because you have less fatigue.”
• Knicks assistant Carson Shanks won’t be retained on the coaching staff after his contract expired, per Jared Schwartz of The New York Post. Shanks spent three years with the team and most recently served as assistant director of video/analytics and player development.