Grade the Trade: Denver Nuggets proposal sends trio for ex. lottery pick

After losing Bruce Brown and Jeff Green in free agency, the Denver Nuggets are in need of some extra help at the wing. They’ve got a few young options that they could turn to to eat some minutes but may need more than that if they want to repeat as champions. In that case, Denver could look to add some help via trade.

NBA Analysis Networks’ James Piercy recently drafted a few mock deals that would net the Nuggets the aforementioned help. One of which saw Denver offload some young talent in exchange for Detroit Pistons sharpshooter Alec Burks.

Would an Alec Burks trade make sense for the Denver Nuggets?

Yeah.

Denver was looking like they might be able to handle the departures of Brown and Green, until sharpshooting forward Vlatko Cancar tore his ACL while playing for Slovenia in a FIBA World Cup preliminary game.

Cancar would’ve been a viable option to step up off of the bench, as the Nuggets could’ve used the extra shooting. His absence gives Denver good reason to explore a trade like this one.

Burks could be a fantastic addition to the Nuggets’ championship core. He’s been in the league for the past 11 seasons after being drafted 12th overall in 2011. The 32-year-old has proven that he can play in the league, serving as a sniper on plenty of teams.

Last year, he spent his time in Detroit, where he appeared in 51 games for the Pistons. It was there that he averaged 12.8 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game while shooting 43.6% from the field and an efficient 41.4% from long range.

If he were to wind up in Denver, there’s no doubt that he’d be able to be an asset for the Nuggets.

Final grade for Denver Nuggets Alec Burks mock trade:

A-

Again, Burks would be a good fit next to Nikola Jokic. His reliability from distance would stretch the defense and make things easier for Denver’s star center.

The only real downside to this is that the Nuggets would have to ship out multiple young players, which may not mean anything to the average fan, but could be pivotal down the road. Denver swung a deal ahead of this season’s NBA Draft to land some extra draft capital.

It was a move that was made with the new CBA and its harsh financial restrictions in mind. By rolling out younger players, the Nuggets would be able to save money due to their cheaper contracts.

If Denver was to give up both Nnaji and Watson, they’d be offloading two players who may be able to give them solid minutes for a low price.