The trade rumors around the Nuggets have cooled a bit compared to the fever pitch of a few weeks ago, but talks will heat up again. The team has settled itself somewhat and found its footing with a 23-15 record, good for fourth place in the Western Conference.
They are also getting healthy at the right time as Aaron Gordon just returned to the lineup and the Nuggets have their full top eight intact for the first time in a while. If they can keep their top players on the court, the next few weeks present a great opportunity for the Nuggets to see how the team looks and what adjustments are needed ahead of the February 6th trade deadline.
There have been plenty of players and fake deals connected to Denver, as they’ve been aggressively seeking an upgrade on the trade market. The problem is that the Nuggets don’t have much to give in the way of assets or salary.
With the new, restrictive CBA, any deal for the first-apron Nuggets is going to confusing and difficult to pull off. But that certainly doesn’t mean it’s impossible. Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report proposed one trade that would help every NBA team and his idea for the Nuggets was quite a doozy.
Nuggets get Kuzma and Valanciunas in proposed trade with Wizards
Swartz proposed the Nuggets make a trade with the tanking Washington Wizards. Washington has made their rebuilding intent very clear; they want to lose as many games as possible to position themselves to score the best draft pick possible. Trading their useful veteran players would be a good step towards that goal and is something the team is reported to be interested in doing.
Trade proposal:
Nuggets get:
Kyle Kuzma
Jonas Valanciunas
Saddiq Bey
Wizards get:
Michael Porter Jr.
Zeke Nnaji
Why the Nuggets should do this deal
This deal would add depth and financial flexibility for the Nuggets. They’d get a solid wing shooter in Kuzma who is on a reasonable contract and has championship experience from his time with the Lakers. Kuz could easily slot into the starting lineup to replace MPJ fairly seamlessly.
Valanciunas would be the best backup center the Nuggets have had in ages and offer a much-needed boost for the team’s frontcourt. Bey is currently injured but may be able to return before the end of this season and would add another solid wing shooter on a reasonable contract.
Denver would also enjoy the benefit of getting off of Nnaji’s disastrous four-year contract, which has already proven to be a difficult task.
Why the Nuggets should not do this deal
On the other hand, the Nuggets would be sacrificing the best player in this deal in Porter Jr. Kuzma is about $12 million cheaper this year, but he’s three years older than MPJ, he’s not as good on either end of the court, and he has no familiarity playing with the Nuggets.
Porter Jr. is already a ready-made co-star who fits perfectly and has been playing great basketball for the Nuggets. Going from him to Kuz in the starting lineup would be a downgrade. While Valanciunas would be a great backup center, he’s making close to $10 million this season and next.
That’s a lot to pay for a guy who will be used sparingly, especially in the playoffs. The Nuggets also have injured rookie DaRon Holmes coming back next season who should immediately provide frontcourt depth.
Taking a flyer on Bey would be fine, but there’s no guarantee he can help the team this season, which kind of defeats the purpose. Denver would probably be better suited to find bench shooting on the buyout market.
The verdict
All in all, the deal makes sense, but the return just isn’t enough to justify selling Porter Jr. MPJ has been the team’s best and most consistent player outside of Nikola Jokic this season. He’s an outstanding movement shooter and an elite rebounder for his position.
He has a very rare skillset which has proven invaluable to the Nuggets. That’s not even to mention his fit and chemistry with the team. He certainly isn’t untouchable and if the Nuggets are serious about making a move, it almost has to involve Porter Jr., but they need to get back a surefire upgrade and this isn’t it.