You can accidentally shorten your chain by placing a new port. Suppose we have this planet layout:
A == B == C
|| ||
D == E == F
If you put trade ports on every planet, your longest route is halfway around the circle (3 jumps). However, if we remove a trade port from B, our longest route is now A-D-E-F-C, a superior 4 jumps. So yes, you can accidentally reduce your trade length by placing ports on new planets.