Trade Talk: Should the Nuggets Try For A New Face?
By Blake Holmes
A question that is ringing in every Nuggets fan’s minds is “should Denver trade for a new player?”
As the trade deadline creeps ever so closer, there are several players on the market. A recent example, while not as headline grabbing as others is the Timberwolves announcing that Ricky Rubio is available. It’s always interesting to see what teams have up their sleeves, and it seems that the Nuggets may be putting themselves into position to make a move. A question to ask ourselves, however is simply, “Should the Nuggets make a move this season?”
Denver has played some pretty good basketball as of late, winning their last two games by over ten each and dropping a combined total of 265 points. When they are clicking, Denver looks like they can compete with anybody in the NBA. The problem is, they are incredibly inconsistent. For example, the Nuggets are on a two game winning streak, but lost five straight before this streak. For a team that is heavily contending for the number eight seed in the West, they cannot afford to be too inconsistent.
I do believe that the Nuggets are unpredictable, but I also do not believe that a trade needs to happen right now. This team is young, and will look to have more success in the coming years. They are a result of a good rebuilding effort, and we shouldn’t throw that away in an effort to win this season. Now, I am also not saying that the team needs to tank, but no drastic changes need to happen in the 2017 season.
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There are only a few things that I would be alright with in a trade for the Nuggets. First, I would like to see a trade that could bring a superstar back to Denver. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, this is something that the Nuggets have missed since the Carmelo Anthony days. It would be nice to see somebody be the face of the franchise, and to have a guy you know is going to take the last second shot.
Secondly, Denver can make a trade for a bench player if they want, but every young piece on the roster should be taken off of the table. I have thoroughly enjoyed what I have seen from Jamal Murray, Juancho Hernangomez, and Malik Beasley this year. Murray has emerged at times as a streaky outside shooter, Juancho has some range and a sweet post game, and Beasley has played well in his limited minutes, while being a fantastic bench presence as well. We do not need to trade these players in an effort to improve the bench.
Lastly, I am alright with a Nuggets trade if the deal is just too much for the Nuggets to pass up. This is the most unlikely of the scenarios, but if there was a deal that was completely in Denver’s favor, I would be thrilled if they took it. The players that I would consider the most untouchable going into the deadline would be Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and Emmanuel Mudiay. I still believe in Mudiay and his future, but if a good enough deal came along, I would be alright with losing him to another team.
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Without one of these scenarios, there is no reason for the Nuggets to make a trade this season. Denver has two picks in this year’s draft, and this draft should be INCREDIBLY deep. Not to mention, this is a rather young team, with their average age being around 26 years old. The Nuggets do not need to mess up the team chemistry, as this could be a special group of players in years to come.