As many of you have heard at this point – the Nuggets are looking to make some moves. Per Tony Jones and Sam Amick of the Athletic, they are interested in and have had at least exploratory talks focused on Zach Lavine, Jordan Poole, Jordan Clarkson, DeAndre Hunter, Cam Johnson, and Jonas Valanciunas. Ian Begley, who covers the Knicks and Nets for SNY also reported that Brandon Ingram has also been on their radar.
Now, there are some names that probably will not happen there. Jordan Poole has a massive contract and is a relatively poor positional fit for what the Nuggets. He could be fun, but would he help winning? Probably not. Jordan Clarkson is the smallest scale move listed, but he’s been inefficient for years and would eat into Julian Strawther or Russell Westbrook’s minutes. Both of which would feel like mistakes. Now Jonas Valanciunas is an interesting one because he fits what the Nuggets maybe need the most – a competent backup big.
The Nuggets could trade Dario Saric and Zeke Nnaji for him, though there isn’t much reason for the Wizards to do that. It would likely have to include some sweetener, and he’s not worth moving your sole tradeable pick for. They could do some combination of MPJ and one of, or both of, Zeke Nnaji and Dario Saric for Jordan Poole and Jonas Valanciunas. Though, again, Poole does not really profile as a player that the Nuggets have typically been interested in.
Cam Johnson is probably the best fit in terms of personnel. He’s an efficient 3 point shooter and does it on volume – 43.3% on 7.5 attempts per game. He’s also far more affordable than Michael Porter Jr. on a per year basis, making just 22.5 million dollars this season. He’s seen as a better defender league wide than MPJ, and would help a defense that has struggled to start this season. Though he’s not a defensive ace by any means. In any Nets trade, it’s also been reported that the Nuggets would try and get Dorian Finney-Smith or Bojan Bogdanovic as well. That would bolster the Nuggets forward depth, and provide better spacing than is currently on the roster. Getting two shooters for the price of one.
The big fish in these reports though, is obviously Zach LaVine. He’s been the one most speculated on, and the one that has been reported the Nuggets have “serious interest” in. A fellow 2016 dunk contest participant, Aaron Gordon was the last big midseason trade addition that the Nuggets made, and this would make significantly less sense from a positional perspective. AG was an easy shoe-in for the power forward position. A Zach LaVine trade would see Christian Braun likely playing the small forward, which he’s a little small for. However, in terms of pure talent? That would be a win for the Nuggets.
It would give them more shot creation, and someone that could score with or without Jokic. He’s currently averaging 21.7 points per game on 63.1% true shooting. He also pitches in 4.4 rebounds per game and 4.2 assists per game. He has 50.1/42.8/80 splits, and would be the most dynamic shot creator that Jokic has played with – at least in the regular season. Any team that trades for him would only be on the hook for two seasons after this one, which makes the prospect of acquiring him significantly more attractive than it has been is seasons previous.
Though with that being said, one has to wonder if any of these trades improve the team. Michael Porter Jr. is an important piece for the Nuggets. He also is 5 inches taller than Zach LaVine, and a better rebounder (duh). The grass isn’t always greener, but Calvin Booth might be swinging for his job right now. Despite reports early in the season of a contract extension growing near, there hasn’t been any news on that front for some time now. The Nuggets have largely been underwhelming, and it’s clear that his plans haven’t worked out as well as they might’ve hoped for.
Acquiring another piece can sometimes give a boost to the momentum, and that would be the hope here. Sometimes things just grow stagnant, and you need a different look. The question here is whether the Nuggets have stagnated. It seems that some in the organization believe they have, and any move that would be meaningful would have to include Michael Porter Jr. Someone that has adjusted his game to how the Nuggets needed him to play. He hasn’t really complained about his role, he just wants to win. Though that’s what happens when your cap is mismanaged and the next biggest tradable salary is Zeke Nnaji at 8 million a season.
