While Denver is not really being discussed as a possible trade destination for Anthony Davis, they certainly have the assets and the motivation to pursue a trade for the 25-year-old star.
Since Rich Paul (Davis’ agent) and Adrian Wojnarowski stunned the NBA world on Monday by making it clear that Anthony Davis would not re-sign in New Orleans, expert analysts and casual fans alike have speculated his destination and possible trade packages for the 5x All-Star. One place that has not been discussed much in those speculations is Denver.
The Mile High City has never been seen as a particularly attractive player destination, with it being a historically unsuccessful and small market Mid-West city team, but that picture has changed fairly recently.
Not only has the team found success (2nd best record in the Western Conference), but the team has recently attracted some big name free agents. Paul Millsap left the Atlanta Hawks to sign in Denver and Isaiah Thomas, while he has not yet featured for the team, is also currently under contract with the Nuggets. Nikola Jokic, one of the best players in the NBA based on most advanced statistics, also chose to remain with the team instead of seeking more national media recognition in a bigger city. While Denver does not offer the bright lights of New York or Los Angeles, the city has proven it can bring in some pretty big names.
However, for Denver to make a trade of this magnitude, they would have to be reassured that they would at least have a chance to re-sign the generational talent once his contract is up in 2020. Let’s take a look at how realistic Davis’ possible re-signing in Denver would be before we delve into some potential trades for the big man.
(Note: All stats via Basketball-Reference unless otherwise noted.)