Could the Denver Nuggets swoop in for Donte DiVincenzo?

Donte DiVincenzo is apparently available at the 2022 NBA trade deadline with the Boston Celtics looking like favorites to trade for him. Could the Denver Nuggets swoop in and outbid any potential offers for the fourth-year guard?

The Celtics are hoping to duck under the luxury tax line for this season by moving on from one more player according to Brian Windhorst, ESPN:

"“The Boston Celtics, winners of 12 of 15, are engaged with several teams on deals that could reduce their payroll under the luxury tax line but also keep the momentum of their recent hot streak. The Milwaukee Bucks have had discussions about Dennis Schroder, and the Celtics have some interest in Donte DiVincenzo, sources say.“The Bucks were unable to sign DiVincenzo to a contract extension last fall and have tested his value with several teams in recent days.”"

There are two reasons for this report, firstly, the Celtics want to have their cake and eat it too. Boston wants to duck under the tax line while not losing any real talent on their roster.

Secondly, the Bucks know that 3-and-D wings are hard to come by, and given their own financial constraints, and will likely be priced out of DiVincenzo’s price range this offseason. Yes, Milwaukee can go over the cap to retain their player since they have his Bird rights, but ownership has shown a penchant for dodging the tax in recent seasons.

If the only offer on the table is Schroder, surely the Denver Nuggets can beat that.

Without giving up any first-round picks or young players, the Nuggets could offer something useful in the present: a rotation player.

Moving on from Jeff Green hurts, he has been excellent for Denver after signing for the mid-level exception this past offseason. He has been starting at both forward positions and has even been playing backup center before the DeMarcus Cousins signing.

Dennis Schroder doesn’t help the Bucks compete for a title this season, all he would do is give them a regular season contributor and save them the trouble of re-signing DiVincenzo in the offseason.

Jeff Green would bring the same versatility to Milwaukee that he has for Denver, possibly even more since he’d be playing next to a Defensive Player of the Year in Giannis Antetokounmpo.

The Bucks have also expressed interest in receiving Grant Williams in a Schroder deal according to Jake Fischer, Bleacher Report. Jeff Green is better than Williams and the two play very similar roles on both ends of the court.

Additionally, Green is on a two-year deal so the Bucks wouldn’t have to worry about replacing him after this season.

Why would the Denver Nuggets want Donte DiVincenzo?

After all that Jeff Green praise, it’s not like DiVincenzo is a bad player himself. On the season he’s averaging 7.1 points while shooting a terrible 28.6 percent from the 3-point line.

DiVincenzo is coming off ankle surgery and hasn’t been as elite on both ends as he usually is.

At 6’4″, Donte is an elite guard defender and has been excellent in many deep playoff runs for the Bucks. His role for Denver would be very similar to in Milwaukee, defend the better guard scorers in the league and finish wide-open jump shots and layups gifted to him by a cerebral European big man.

At 25-years-old, DiVincenzo could progress with this core and it’s not hard to imagine him sliding into closing lineups with Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. in the backcourt.

His restricted free agency would be nerve-racking for Tim Connelly and the Nuggets front office but after underperforming in limited action this season, his market might be slightly more depressed than expected. Additionally, the only team with cap space that I see throwing a large offer at him at the Detroit Pistons, Portland Trail Blazers, and San Antonio Spurs.

A lot of what he does on the offensive side is exactly what Bryn Forbes does right now, but combining that shooting with legitimate defensive chops would be threatening.

But back to Jeff Green for one moment. JaMychal Green and Facundo Campazzo are considered available at the trade deadline per Fischer, Bleacher Report, and one of the main reasons for that is their redundancy on the roster.

With no Jeff, JaMychal is free to assume his position as backup power forward and center in Michael Malone‘s rotation. He isn’t as good as Jeff this season but it’s not like Denver would have a hole at the position anymore.

They’d keep their depth while adding a 3-and-D guard who profiles as a starter and closer next season. Not a bad deal.