The Denver Nuggets are in a very interesting position entering the new year. The championship aspirations that the team entered the season with are dashed due to injuries but there are still games to be played and this season is the perfect proving ground for next season’s roster.
Jamal Murray looks like he’ll be ready to play at the start of the 2022-23 season, Michael Porter Jr.’s injury is much more concerning but it’s hard to see an injury lasting longer than a calendar year, and P.J. Dozier should be at full strength next season as well.
In the meantime, the NBA’s MVP, Nikola Jokic, is tearing up the league, playing better than he ever has and it buoying this team on both ends, keeping them around .500 and in the playoff race.
As we creep towards the NBA trade deadline, Tim Connelly and the Denver Nuggets front office need to assess the roster and decide whether there’s a player out there who can help the team win next season.
Denver doesn’t own any highly-regarded first-round picks that would help swing a deal for one of the bigger names on the trade market but with a collection of interesting young pieces and late first-round picks, the Nuggets could move for a more under-the-radar player.
The following names on this list won’t blow fans away, but they’re all about finding untapped potential, trying to find a player that just needs an opportunity or new situation to flourish.
Dennis Smith, Nugg Love, wrote this past week about Jokic’s comments to Serbian media. He asks whether the Denver Nuggets are doing right by Jokic and if he’s essentially wasting a year of his prime with this injury-riddled roster.
No, there’s nothing the team can do about the injury luck but with Jokic playing above his MVP level this season, there’s the thought that a slightly upgraded roster (or tweaked playing time for some of the younger players) could move Denver from the play in spot to a solid playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Here is a list of under-the-radar players that could both help the Nuggets in the present and next season, when it’s time to compete.
Denver Nuggets under-the-radar trade candidates: Aaron Nesmith
Aaron Nesmith was the 14th pick in the 2020 draft for the Boston Celtics and has failed to live up to his billing as a 3-and-D wing in today’s NBA.
This season, he’s averaging 3.2 points per contest while shooting 24 percent from the 3-point line on 2.3 attempts per night and despite a rather clear route to playing time, he has failed to make a serious impact on Ime Udoka’s lineup.
Additionally, the new front office, lead by former head coach Brad Stevens, wasn’t the front office that drafted Nesmith so they have fewer ties and emotional investment in the wing.
Former Nugg Love site expert and current CelticsBlog contributor Adam Taylor, wrote about Nesmith’s promising performance against the New York Knicks in late December. Taylor believes that it’s only a matter of time before Nesmith can break into the rotation with his solid defense:
"“Detractors will point to Nesmith’s 0-of-5 shooting as a reason why he failed to seize his opportunity in the starting lineup. And while the lack of scoring certainly didn’t do Nesmith any favors, his showing on defense will undoubtedly have seen his stock rise with Ime Udoka and the coaching staff. “We all know that given time and opportunity, Nesmith will begin hitting his shots. He showed as much last season when he broke into the rotation under Brad Stevens. It takes time for players to find their rhythm, especially within a new system, and figure out where their shots will come from.”"
If the Nuggets are able to buy-low on Nesmith, he might be able to find easier scoring opportunities next to Nikola Jokic while also slotting in as the lead wing defender for a team that needs it in a bad way.
Would the Celtics be happy parting ways with the prospect for a future first-round pick (likely in the 20s given Denver’s position) or one of Denver’s young players?
Denver Nuggets under-the-radar trade candidates: Cam Reddish
The Atlanta Hawks have made it clear that they’re looking to move on from Cam Reddish according to Shams Charania, The Athletic. The report adds that the Hawks are looking for a first-round pick in exchange for the young wing.
Since Atlanta made him available, he has excelled in an increased role as injuries and health & safety protocols are pushing him to the forefront of the rotation. He’s currently averaging 12.7 points while shooting 38 percent from behind the arc.
He has had a couple of 30-point performances in heavy minutes and looks much more comfortable as a scorer and wing creator.
A potential trade looks much more likely as Zach Hood, Peachtree Hoops reported that Hawks president of basketball operations, Travis Schlenk, regrets bringing back the exact same roster as this past season and wants to make some moves at the deadline:
"“Maybe it wasn’t such a great idea to bring everybody back, that’s on me. We have a few weeks here at the trade deadline and that’s what I need to figure out… it’s my responsibility to put a product on the floor that can win. Right now I’m questioning whether or not I have done that.”"
At the moment, all that Denver can offer is draft compensation and young players that likely don’t move the needle for the Hawks who are looking to make a deep playoff push this season.
Would this be enough for Atlanta to part with the former tenth overall pick? Unlikely, but if the Hawks make a larger move, like a rumored Ben Simmons deal, Denver could slide in as a third team looking to take on pieces as they have in the past.
It’s hard to gauge what Reddish’s value is around the league. Before the past couple of weeks, it was rather low – would the Hawks be happy moving on from him for one of Denver’s picks?
From the Nuggets’ point of view, Reddish would add some wing scoring that the team is missing without Jamal or MPJ and in theory, he’d add spacing and scoring to the closing lineup when this team is at its best.
Denver Nuggets under-the-radar trade candidates: Coby White
Early on in the 2021-22 NBA season, there were rumors that Coby White was available for trade and I wrote that the Denver Nuggets should think about trading for him. The Chicago Bulls were rolling (and still are) and White was superfluous on a roster that was stacked at the guard positions.
According to Michael Scotto, The HoopsHype Podcast, White is available in trades as he was a draft selection from the previous regime and there was little interest in holding on to him.
Since then, White returned from offseason shoulder surgery and has played sparingly. Recently, he has been asked to play a bigger role as head coach Billy Donovan has looked for alternatives as players miss time due to injury.
Coby is averaging 10.8 points this season in only 24.3 minutes a night, the lowest of his career.
A deal between the Bulls and Nuggets would likely be a swap with Zeke Nnaji and White, giving Chicago a better option at backup center, something they’ve needed this season. The Nuggets get a guard prospect who will be under his rookie contract for this season and the next.
Could White play alongside Jamal Murray when this team is fully healthy? It poses a lot of defensive questions but for the remainder of this season, White would fill in a lot of the offensive punch and could replace Austin Rivers and/or Facundo Campazzo in the rotation.
Fans might not like the sound of that given White hasn’t proven he’s an NBA-level guard yet but for some reason, I can’t seem to move on from him. I think White still has plenty to prove since coming into the NBA and adding an athletic guard next to Nikola Jokic won’t hurt his production.
Worth the risk.
Denver Nuggets under-the-radar trade candidates: Josh Green
Josh Green is an interesting choice here given the fact he plays sparingly for the Dallas Mavericks and when he does, it’s hardly inspiring. Because of this, it makes him easier for the Denver Nuggets to trade for – fewer trade partners and at a cheaper price.
The idea behind trading for Green is simple, add another player with the name ‘J. Green’ to the box score.
No, in reality, it’s to bring in a player and hope he can hit the upside that Dallas hoped he would when he was drafted. Since the Mavs have been competing in both of Green’s two seasons, minutes have been hard to come by. Denver would be able to see what he can do if they trade for him and give him plenty of run this season.
You also get to factor in the Jokic boost, what would he look like cutting and spotting up around Nikola Jokic, instead of standing in the corner for Luka Doncic?
This might be the biggest buy-low player on the list but hey, that means it’s a lower price.
Denver Nuggets under-the-radar trade candidates: Max Strus
Is this even a buy low, under-the-radar player anymore? Max Strus has been handed an opportunity in his second season with the Miami Heat and is taking it with both hands.
Strus first got to ‘Strus his stuff’ in Summer League, lighting it up with plenty of scoring and a sudden death game-winner. On top of that, you can assume that most young, unproven players that Miami pick up will turn into some kind of rotation player eventually, they’ve just been that consistent on the draft front.
In the month of December, Strus was given more of the ball with injuries to players like Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo and averaged 14.3 points a night in 13 games (three starts). He shot 42 percent from the 3-point line and spaced the floor for his team to operate.
He’s leading all wings in points per 100 shot attempts at 131.2 according to Cleaning the Glass, filtering out low-minute players and garbage time. He’s making 71 percent of his attempts at the rim and is the ideal analytical player, nearly cutting out the mid-range game altogether.
Miami could look at a possible trade with Denver as a sell high, swapping their undrafted find for a player with a recent draft pedigree. Would the Nuggets really want to move on from a recent draftee to get a player who projects as a solid 3-and-D role player? With Jamal and MPJ back next season, there’s currently a vacancy on the wing for someone who can hit shots off the gravity of the stars, is that vacancy for Strus?
Denver Nuggets under-the-radar trade candidates: Anfernee Simons
Anfernee Simons is having a career year for the Portland Trail Blazers and he’s making the most of his opportunity without Damian Lillard or C.J. McCollum. On the season, he’s averaging 13.3 points per game and shooting nearly 40 percent from behind the arc.
His recent run of hot shooting culminated in a 43-point outburst against the Atlanta Hawks, winning the game on a night where Trae Young had 50-plus points himself.
The scouting report on Simons has always been that he’s a score-first guard who might not be able to run his own offense but gives up way too many points on the other end with his lack of size and awareness. So far, it doesn’t appear as though he has progressed on the defensive end but if the offense is legitimate, he would be a huge help to any team in the league.
He might be a career backup guard and sixth man type but that player is valuable.
There are two issues for the Nuggets making a move for Simons. The first is that he’s having the stretch of his life, his price is as high as it has ever been so maybe it’s not a great time to buy.
The second issue is that he’s a restricted free agent this offseason, coming off his rookie deal. If this shooting keeps up and Simons plays this well all year, he’ll be wanting a commensurate contract in free agency and maybe Denver’s little cap space is worth being spent in other positions.
Maybe Simons isn’t a Nuggets trade candidate but if Lillard stays in Portland and the team wants to retool mid-season, look for Anfernee to be a key piece the new front office looks to move on from.
Denver Nuggets under-the-radar trade candidates: Rui Hachimura
This is one of my favorite names this coming trade deadline. Rui Hachimura hasn’t played a single game in the 2021-22 NBA season and neither he nor the Washington Wizards have mentioned why.
It doesn’t appear as though the team and player aren’t on the same page and I’m assuming it’s a non-basketball-related issue. For the purposes of this trade deadline, let’s assume that Rui comes back at some point in the next month and plays just as he has his whole career.
Hachimura is a bit of a strange fit in today’s NBA. As I’ve mentioned on The Deep Two NBA Podcast previously, Rui is the sort of player that would benefit from being the alpha on a worse team. He’s a low-efficiency scorer who plays as though he’s the first option but has been asked to slide in wherever he can fit in a Wizards uniform.
That’s not to say there isn’t a high-efficiency scorer hiding behind his 13 points a night, it’s just really hard to see when he’s spotting up around better players and trying to create on the second unit.
If there’s a team out there who sees more than what Rui has shown thus far, the Nuggets might be the team to unlock it. I’ll mention this one last time, but the Jokic boost can’t be understated here. Putting the Japanese forward next to the most unselfish superstar in the league would be amazing.
Not only would Rui get better looks on his own with defenses constantly zoned in on Jokic, he’d make the most of his athleticism and finishing while playing around Jokic in the post.
I don’t know what a potential deal would look like here. Are Washington happy just letting him go to get any form of production on the roster? If so, would they just take a young player or salary plus a first-round pick?
If Hachimura is available at the deadline, what’s stopping a team like OKC from throwing a couple of bad picks at him to see how he’d operate in Oklahoma? He’d have much more of the ball in his hands and could act as the alpha scorer he looks like he can be.
Maybe Rui isn’t the perfect fit in Denver but maybe he isn’t the perfect fit for most teams in the league. With a season essentially lost due to injuries, what’s the reason not to see how a great finisher would fit? Plus, not all buy low trades have to be taken into next season, if his value increases next to Jokic, he might be an offseason trade piece.