In hopes of making a push to move past the No. 5 seed in the West, the Denver Nuggets have found themselves in trade rumors early in the season. Earlier this month, The Athletic’s Sam Amick and Tony Jones reported that the Nuggets have “significant” interest in Chicago Bulls star Zach LaVine. Additionally, the rumors also indicate that the Nuggets would have to trade one-time champion Michael Porter Jr. in a potential deal for LaVine. Recently, Porter spoke about the trade speculation, saying the Nuggets’ front office told him the rumors are “all noise.”
MPJ on if the Nuggets front office has reached out to him amid trade rumors:
“They’ve reached out to me and said it’s all noise. There’s nothing serious going on.”
“They have no desire to move me right now. But I also know they wouldn’t tell me if they wanted to move me.” pic.twitter.com/oJz79GQHvh
— DNVR Nuggets (@DNVR_Nuggets) December 24, 2024
Denver Nuggets Told Michael Porter Jr. Trade Rumors Are ‘All Noise’
Michael Porter Jr.’s Role With the Nuggets
The Indiana native is now in the midst of his seventh season in Denver after they selected him 14th overall in 2018. Porter has become a valuable asset to the Nuggets and played a crucial role in their championship victory in 2023. This season, he is averaging 18.4 points per game, the third-most on the team behind Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray. Porter is arguably the Nuggets’ most skilled scorer who can score from anywhere on the court. For his career, he is a 50.1% shooter from the field and a 40.8% shooter from beyond the arc.
Porter is versatile and scores efficiently. The Nuggets currently rank as the fifth-best offensive team in the NBA. Furthermore, much of their offensive success has to do with Porter’s contributions on the court. While not necessarily an untouchable, there is no doubt that Porter is a valuable player on this Nuggets team.
The Major Holdup in a Nuggets-LaVine Trade
Recently, Bulls writer K.C. Johnson, via NBA insider Marc Stein, revealed the biggest holdup in a potential trade involving LaVine and the Nuggets. Reportedly, the Bulls have “no interest” in landing Nuggets forward Zeke Nnaji and his four-year, $32 million contract.
One potential trade iteration to surface as part of Denver’s confirmed interest in Chicago’s Zach LaVine is a swap that would bring LaVine and Torrey Craig to the Nuggets in exchange for Michael Porter Jr. and Zeke Nnaji.
Yet the Bulls, league sources say, have balked at Nnaji’s inclusion in such a trade. This is Year 1 of a four-year, $32 million contract for Nnaji that, while descending in value annually, runs through 2027-28.
Longtime Bulls reporter K.C. Johnson reported earlier this week that Chicago has shown “no interest” in taking on Nnaji’s contract “in any talks surrounding Zach LaVine.”
Currently, beyond the reports and Porter’s comments, it is unclear how likely the Nuggets are to acquire LaVine. Regardless, it seems that there is genuine interest from Denver’s perspective. The trade deadline is still a couple of months away, so the Nuggets and Bulls will continue to be teams to monitor in the meantime.
