Michael Malone's comments couldn't make Nuggets trade deadline plans more clear

The NBA trade deadline is now just two days away and there are tough decisions ahead. The Nuggets have been involved in rumors since the season started and those have only been heating up as we get to the final hours.

Despite having the best player in the world in Nikola Jokic, the roster is short on talent and depth. They could badly use one more reliable rotation player to really feel good about their chances come playoff time, but making that move has proven to be a lot easier said than done.

Due to their own asset mismanagement, the Nuggets have found themselves in a position with almost zero draft capital - the worst draft pick equity of any team in the league. The best weapon they have to deal is a 2031 first-round pick and swaps. They have no second-rounders at all, which has already proven to be a hindrance in targeting role players.

But an equally big hindrance has been the lack of tradable salaries. Jokic is obviously a non-starter in any deal and Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon recently signed extensions which make them ineligible to be dealt during the season.

That makes Michael Porter Jr. the only Nuggets player making over $8.8 million this season that could realistically be traded. Zeke Nnaji makes that $8.8 million and Dario Saric makes $5.3 million, but neither of those players has a shred of trade value. Everyone else on the roster is on a rookie contract or a minimum contract.

To put this in other terms, the only way for the Nuggets to improve the roster by adding a star, or multiple rotation players, is by trading MPJ. If any big, impactful trade is to be made at this deadline, it starts and ends with Porter Jr.

“We’re not trading Michael Porter” - Michael Malone

After Monday night’s win over the Pelicans in which MPJ went off for 36 points and 7 rebounds, Michael Malone was asked if he has checked in with Porter Jr. more frequently recently. The coach stated that he has not because there’s no reason to and that the Nuggets are “not trading Michael Porter Jr.” Simple as that.

In the wake of the recent Luka Doncic blockbuster, you can never rule out anything. But Malone has proven to be honest (sometimes to a fault) with the media. He’s old school and he can’t help but speak his mind. I take him at his word here; the Nuggets have done their diligence and determined that Porter Jr. is more valuable to the team than anything they could get back by trading him.

So, if Nuggets fans were hoping for fireworks and blockbusters at the deadline, they are in for disappointment. The team had one path to a star and Malone says that path is off the table. The team could still make moves on the margins, and they certainly should. They can also be active on the buyout market. The roster issues still need to be addressed, but according to Malone, that’s not coming with a splash trade ahead of Thursday’s deadline.