The Denver Nuggets could be in for an offseason full of moves as they look to potentially duck the NBA's luxury tax for the second year in a row. But they can't make the mistake of selling low on Aaron Gordon just because of the injury risk he carries. He's too important to the team, and the Nuggets have better options than moving Mr. Nugget.
According to the latest from NBA insider Marc Stein, Gordon is the Nugget receiving the "strongest external trade interest." Which is interesting, given that Gordon will be embarking on the first year of his three-year contract extension, which kicks in with a solid raise to just under $32 million. But Gordon is coming off the second injury-filled year in a row, playing in just 87 games over the past two seasons.
Is the external trade interest for Gordon at full price? Or is the interest at a buy-low price? AG is the second-most important player behind Nikola Jokic, and the Nuggets cannot let him go at a buy-low price. They have other options if those are the offers that come in.
Aaron Gordon means a lot to the Nuggets
AG is the Nuggets' best defender, and he's a Victor Wembanyama stopper, too. The Nuggets have no interior presence without AG patrolling around the paint. When he's on the court, the Nuggets' defense is just better. Combine him with Peyton Watson, Jokic, and Jamal Murray, plus whoever you want to join them in the lineup, and the Nuggets had a 106.7 defensive rating in 146 minutes of floor time together.
That rate would have given the Nuggets the second-best regular-season defensive rating in the NBA, just barely trailing the Oklahoma City Thunder at 106.5. Instead, the Nuggets finished the regular season in 21st place, with a 116.0 rating, largely because Gordon was sidelined by injuries.
Gordon is the glue-guy on the team, the vibe coordinator, and a fan favorite. The Nuggets have to be sure to extract the maximum value in any trade that would pry AG out of Denver.
Jamal Murray is the more valuable trade piece
The Nuggets can solve the paint issues they faced in their first-round playoff exit against the Minnesota Timberwolves by simply getting Gordon back to full health. They should trade Jamal Murray instead to add perimeter defense that stops opposing guards from getting into the paint in the first place. Murray's defense was virtually non-existent against the Timberwolves.
Coming off his first All-Star and All-NBA nods, Murray's value has never been higher, and it offers the Nuggets a great opportunity to upgrade not just the defense, but also depth, and maybe even draft picks. Gordon won't get the Nuggets a return as large as Murray's. Trading Murray could also give the Nuggets some of the cap space savings they're looking for while filling those needs.
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