BROOKLYN — Michael Porter Jr. sat in the green room next to his agent Mark Bartelstein. Porter’s mint suit looked rustier than it did when the draft first began. As each of his peers hugged their parents, walked to the podium and shook Adam Silver’s hand, Porter became increasingly more impatient, shifting in his seat often enough to warrant a pat on the back from Bartelstein.
Once considered a top pick, Porter’s stock plummeted after teams deemed his back injury too much of a risk, even for a player of his talent. For a time, it seemed like the Wizards were going to be in position to get a real player – an opportunity to gamble with a chance to land a potential franchise-changing forward.