The NBA is less than a month away and the Denver Nuggets currently hold the 26th pick. While there are plenty of enticing options available in that range (many of which we’ve detailed here at Nugg Love), there are better prospects high on the draft board and a few possible avenues for trading up this season.
Before the draft lottery, the Houston Rockets and Cleveland Cavaliers expressed interest in trading away their lottery pick per Adrian Wojnarowski, ESPN. The picks these teams ended up with might be a bit out of Denver’s price range.
Typically, trading up in the draft is something younger, rebuilding teams do when looking to add to their collection of young talent. Denver isn’t rebuilding but the injury to Jamal Murray might open up an interesting opportunity for the team to bring in another young contributor.
This article goes through three different trade-up scenarios the Denver Nuggets might be able to get involved in for the 2021 NBA Draft.
Denver Nuggets 2021 draft trade-up scenarios: Facilitating a Pascal Siakam-Warriors swap
John Hollinger, The Athletic reported last week, at the start of the NBA Draft Combine, that the Golden State Warriors will be looking around in the trade market after securing the seventh-overall pick from the Minnesota Timberwolves.
"“The Warriors now have the seventh and 14th picks plus last year’s second overall pick, James Wiseman, and there is a widespread expectation that the Warriors will use number seven and Wiseman, in particular, to seek more immediate upgrades to the roster. One name to watch: Pascal Siakam.”"
The most likely scenario involves the Warriors sending Wiseman and Andrew Wiggins to Toronto for Siakam. It bolsters the Warriors roster that is looking for another star for a final championship push in Stephen Curry’s prime, but it digs away at the team’s depth.
That’s where Denver steps in. This trade sees Denver essentially turn the 26th pick and JaMychal Green (assuming he picks up his option) into the 14th pick.
By doing this trade, Denver saves some cap space, getting off of Green’s $7.6 million remaining, and can draft a better prospect with the higher pick. JaMychal was extremely solid this past season coming off the bench, but with Paul Millsap likely getting re-signed and Jamal Murray’s injury, there may be better uses of the salary space.
For the Warriors, filling out the rest of their roster gets tricky when adding Siakam. JaMychal would be a reliable big man option off the bench for the Warriors roster and can absorb Wiseman’s minutes (without the pressure of a second-overall pick).
Golden State also gets a shot with the 26th pick to draft a contributor on a cheap, late-first-round pick, similar to where they got Jordan Poole. Poole is now a staple on their roster and playing crucial minutes next season while being paid well under his value.
If you’re Toronto, you don’t mind what happens. This trade works with or without the Nuggets involvement. Denver doesn’t take away from the Raptors’ potential package unless they wanted seven and 14 for themselves, then it gets tricky.
Denver Nuggets 2021 draft trade-up scenarios: OKC swap for an established player
This trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder is a challenge trade of sorts. It sees Denver send their own first-round pick this season and Zeke Nnaji, last season’s 22nd overall pick, to the Thunder in exchange for one of OKC’s late teens picks – 16th or 18th.
OKC received the 16th pick from the Boston Celtics and the 18th from the Houston Rockets.
At face value, it’s a poor trade, OKC go from their draft slot, down to 22 by swapping the players. Additionally, OKC loses a season of team control since Nnaji just spent one year of his possible four on a rookie deal on Denver’s bench.
The rationale from OKC’s side is that they value Nnaji’s potential higher than any of the players they might be able to select themselves. While Zeke didn’t show a lot in his rookie campaign, OKC must’ve done their scouting last season when they had the 17th and 25th picks (Aleksej Pokusevski and Immanuel Quickley respectively) and maybe they were interested a year ago but decided to go in another direction.
From Denver’s standpoint, if Tim Connelly and the front office believe they misevaluated Nnaji and can’t see a pathway to playing time for him, they may as well wash their hands of the experience and have another attempt at drafting a contributor.
The drop in value might be too steep even if OKC believes in Nnaji, when it all goes right, mid-first-round picks can be some of the most valuable selections in the draft. Sam Presti might not want to part with either of his.
Denver Nuggets 2021 draft trade-up scenarios: New Orleans salary dump Eric Bledsoe
Eric Bledsoe wasn’t spectacular this past season, I’m not breaking any news there. He’s owed $18.1 million next season and is partially guaranteed for $19.4 the following season.
That’s a lot of money for a player who has underperformed in each of his past two stops and especially for the New Orleans Pelicans who want to retain their own free agents in Lonzo Ball and Josh Hart this offseason.
There’s a world in which retaining both those free agents brings this New Orleans team to the salary cap with little-to-no way of meaningfully improving. That’s a horrible scenario to be in with the Pelicans firmly outside of the playoff discussion.
The trade here is to move Will Barton (if he picks up his Player Option) and the 26th pick for Bledsoe and the Pelican’s tenth pick.
The swap in picks is compensation for taking on the bad money that is Bledsoe’s contract and sending back the expiring (and cheaper) Barton. This gives NOLA a bit more wiggle room under the tax and freedom this offseason.
For the Nuggets, Bledsoe can step right in for the injured Jamal Murray next season and let him walk the following season if it doesn’t work out, opening up plenty of cap space to retool around the core.
If Bledsoe finds a long-term role on Denver, it’d be as the first guard off the bench or the defensive option next to Murray. Not the sort of job you want to pay close to $20 million per season for, but for the situation Denver’s in, it’s worth the price of admission.
What’s the price of admission? The tenth pick gives Denver a blue-chip prospect who could turn into a serious contributor down the line or be used in any future trades.