NBA Trade Rumors: Exploring four bold moves that could help the Denver Nuggets solve their major depth issues.
The Denver Nuggets have managed to bounce back after an extremely shaky start to the season. But even with their improved player over the last few games, the Nuggets still are very much in an uncertain spot heading into the thick of the regular season. At 4-3, nursing a key injury to Aaron Gordon, the Nuggets still can't confidently be considered one of the stronger contenders in the conference. One of their biggest issues so far this season has been their lack of depth.
The Nuggets are a bottom-5 team in bench scoring and it seems as if losing key pieces of their championship roster over the last two offseasons has finally caught up to the team. If the Nuggets wanted to retool the roster in an attempt to give themselves a shot to reemerge as a contender this season, there is certainly a path toward achieving that. However, that would almost certainly involve trading Michael Porter Jr. Considering the Nuggets reportedly explored that option this past offseason, it may not be that far-fetched of an idea.
In an attempt to solve the team's depth issues, we explore four in-season blockbuster deals (centered around MPJ) that could help the Nuggets rebound as potential contenders in the Western Conference.
4 Blockbuster trades to help the Denver Nuggets
MPJ is traded to the Indiana Pacers for depth
A potential trade with the Indiana Pacers is an interesting one considering they're another team that could be looking to shake up their situation after a similarly lackluster start to their season. If the Nuggets could add a solid backup guard in T.J. McConnell, a worthy backup big in Obi Toppin, and a new starting small forward in Aaron Nesmith, while also getting a future first-round pick, this could be an offer that Denver may not want to decline.
Again, assuming that the Pacers would want to open more minutes for both Jarace Walker and Bennedict Mathurin, this is a deal that could end up making sense. Plus, adding Michael Porter Jr. would give the team another productive offensive perimeter player that perhaps they need next to Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam. The Nuggets would replenish their bench while the Pacers would add a third star to their core. This is a big deal that could end up being considered a win-win for both sides.
The Denver Nuggets send MPJ out East
For as much as the Denver Nuggets have struggled this season in the Western Conference, if there's a team that almost equally (if not more) needs a shakeup of their roster, it's the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference. The Heat has struggled mightily this season to find their groove and the more this team struggles, the clearer it becomes that this core has hit its ceiling. Change is needed and is likely going to come at some point in the not-so-distant future for the Heat. The question is, would they be open to change in-season?
If the answer to that question is yes, perhaps there's a deal that could make sense for both the Nuggets and the Heat. Miami could use a talent as dynamic as Michael Porter Jr. on the offensive end of the floor as they continue to struggle with consistency. While Miami doesn't have a ton of top-tier talent on the roster at the moment, one thing that they do have is depth. And perhaps some of that depth could make sense for the Nuggets as they look to solve their issues off the bench.
The Nuggets could send MPJ to the Heat for a package of Jamie Jaquez Jr., Haywood Highsmith, Duncan Robinson, and two future second-round picks. I'm not sure if that would be considered enough for the Nuggets to pull the trigger but this is a deal that could make sense for both sides. JJJ is an intriguing long-term project for the Nuggets who has already paid dividends so far in his career. For as much as he's still growing into his potential, he's very much a proven rotation player.
Considering the Nuggets could use some help from 3-point range, Robinson would make sense. Overlooked for the majority of his career, Highsmith could be considered a great wing addition who could guard multiple positions for a team. The Heat is unlikely to be willing to part ways with their few tradable first-round picks, so two seconds is probably what they'd be willing to send as draft compensation.
The Denver Nuggets help the Utah Jazz find a second star
After signing Lauri Markkanen to a long-term extension during the offseason, one of the Utah Jazz's biggest priorities heading into this season had to involve trying to find a worthy supporting star. The first option for the Jazz was always going to the hope of one of their young players developing into such a role. However, through the first few weeks of the season, the idea of that is very much unlikely. That could lead the Jazz to shift their focus to searching the trade market for help.
The Denver Nuggets and Michael Porter Jr. could make at least some sense for Utah. In the event that the Jazz is open to trading some of their depth for a proven "star" who could immediately play a big role next to Markkanen, there is a deal that could be had between both sides. It begins with including John Collins due to contract reasons. But at this point in his career, he could be a worthy gamble for a team like the Nuggets. In addition to Collins, Jordan Clarkson could make sense as a scoring option off the bench for Denver.
Two other rotation-worthy players who could be involved in the deal are Brice Sensabaugh and Walker Kessler. The Jazz also have the luxury of including a future first-round pick to cement a deal to help them land a strong supporting star next to Markkanen. I'm not sure how great of a fit MPJ would be next to Markkanen, but this move could end up being a worthy gamble for a Jazz team that has gotten off to an extremely rough start to the season.
The Jazz would take a big leap forward and would have two strong foundational pieces in Markkanen and MPJ and could get even more aggressive to add a difference-making guard by utilizing their draft capital if they wanted. The Nuggets would get four new rotation players that could immediately make a difference for the team. The big question is, would they be that much better where this move would be worth it? Either way, there's no question that objectively, this is a move that could make sense for both sides.
The Denver Nuggets add a dynamic guard
If the offseason rumors were accurate that the Portland Trail Blazers wanted to trade Anfernee Simons in an attempt to support their younger core, perhaps there is a deal that makes sense for the Denver Nuggets here. In this deal, the Nuggets would send Michael Porter Jr. to the Blazers in exchange for Simons, Matisse Thybulle, Tounami Camara, and a future first-round pick. Why would Portland make this move? Well, they'd move on from Simons (which they reportedly want to do) while adding a proven start talent in MPJ.
The Nuggets could get their new answer to their starting shooting guard concerns with Simons and would add a strong defensive wing presence in Thybulle along with a useful young rotation piece with some upside in Camara. Adding a first-round pick from a team with an uncertain future is an underrated strong part of the deal as well. By adding a score-first starting two-guard, the Nuggets would help take some pressure off the shoulders of both Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic, while giving a boost to their bench (by allowing Christian Braun to return to a reserve role).
If the Nuggets are looking for a move that would shift their entire supporting cast around Jokic, this could be a move that accomplishes that. Of course, this is a move that would also suggest that the team's biggest issue is their lack of a consistent starting two-guard. And to be quite honest, I'm not sure if that's the team's biggest problem. But maybe the front office does believe that to be the case.
The Blazers could get a jump-start in their rebuild, which they seemed to have lacked recently, or could elect to trade MPJ down the line. Either way, the Blazers would get good value for Simons and would have much of the same flexibility moving forward. This may not seem like a perfect deal on paper for either side but it could go a long way in solving some of the issues that both teams seem to have at the moment.