After falling short to the Golden State Warriors in round one of the NBA playoffs, the Denver Nuggets can look into offseason trades to bolster their roster. Nikola Jokic is an established star, and more than capable of being the best player on a championship team. Denver, however, lacked a great supporting cast due to injuries to Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. Should the duo be healthy next season, with a couple of quick fixes on the roster, the Nuggets will be a force.
Denver Nuggets: Two Trade Ideas
Adding More Depth
Denver Nuggets receive Kenrich Williams and Mike Muscala.
Oklahoma City Thunder receive Zeke Nnaji and two second-round picks.
Plenty of players will be off the books for the Nuggets this offseason. This includes Austin Rivers, Bryn Forbes, Facundo Campazzo, Vlatko Cancar, DeMarcus Cousins, and possibly Jeff Green. For this reason, looking into trades bringing established depth is an option for Denver.
Williams is a player who fits the Nuggets scheme very well on paper. He can score in a variety of ways, plays solid defense, and is the ultimate hustle player. Williams can also play three different positions if needed, so the Nuggets can essentially plug him in anywhere. This season he averaged close to seven points, five boards, two assists, and a steal in roughly 22 minutes per game. Denver also snags Muscala here. They’ll have a decision to make with Cousins’ future, but Muscala helps fill a void. This season he averaged close to eight points and three rebounds per game in 14 minutes on the floor. He’s also a sneaky good three-point shooter, so he spreads the floor for the Nuggets’ offense.
Oklahoma City adds more youth here as Nnaji is just 21-years-old. He showed flashes of potential this season, and will likely get more playing time for the rebuilding Thunder. In addition, Oklahoma City loves their draft picks and they get two in this deal.
Small Scale Three-Team Trade
Denver Nuggets receive Corey Kispert.
Washington Wizards receive Romeo Langford and the Nuggets’ 2022 first-round pick.
San Antonio Spurs receive Zeke Nnaji.
Shooting is always a valuable asset in the league. Kispert brings this. He didn’t have many chances to prove himself in Washington, but he can find plenty of open looks on the Denver offense. With Forbes set to hit free agency, Denver can certainly use a shooting specialist. Assuming everyone is healthy next season, Kispert will be one of the first names off the bench with Monte Morris and Bones Hyland.
Washington receives a former lottery pick in Langford who never got time for the Boston Celtics and was in a very crowded wing rotation in San Antonio. Perhaps playing under the tutelage of Bradley Beal, should Washington retain him, will allow Langford to grow. The Wizards also receive Denver’s first-round pick as Kispert went in the 2021 first round.
Finally, the Spurs acquire Nnaji to add to their frontcourt rotation. San Antonio has a promising core of youth, and Nnaji can feature directly behind the likes of Jakob Poeltl and Keldon Johnson.
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