Former Denver Nuggets President of Basketball Operations, Tim Connelly, now with the Minnesota Timberwolves, has made some aggressive trades for his new franchise over the last few years. But none of his trades would be as aggressive or as laughable as the asking price for Jaden McDaniels, and the Nuggets better hope the strong offer for Nikola Jokic never comes their way. Because, you know, they'd consider that one, of course (heavy sarcasm).
The latest and greatest trade and draft intel drop from Hoops Hype and Michael Scotto has a doozy of a tale about what the Timberwolves are looking to receive for Jaden McDaniels. Apparently, the Timberwolves think the world of the defensive stopper. Sure, he did call out the Nuggets, and his team backed it up, but this is laughable.
"Other teams have always called on rising swingman Jaden McDaniels. Minnesota has made him essentially untradable unless it was for a blockbuster trade involving Giannis Antetokounmpo or Nikola Jokic," Scotto said.
That's a steep asking price for a player whose only regular-season award is an NBA All-Defensive Second Team nod in 2023-24. Sure, McDaniels' defense is good, but Giannis and Joker are all the T-Wolves would trade him for?
The Nuggets need to prioritize defense like the Timberwolves
The Timberwolves have prioritized defense with this stance, and it would be nice to see the Nuggets follow suit and do the same. The Nuggets had the 21st-ranked defense last year, compared to the Timberwolves, who finished in the eighth spot. The NBA Champion New York Knicks finished the regular season in seventh, the San Antonio Spurs were third, and the Oklahoma City Thunder were first.
Defense gets you further than leading the league in offense and hoping to shoot lights out for 16 wins in the playoffs. That's why the hope for the Nuggets is to make some kind of leap in thought to adjust and trade for players like Derrick White or Isaiah Stewart, or sign a free agent like Marcus Smart or even Keon Ellis for a cheap 3-and-D wing.
The Nuggets were unable to stop the Timberwolves on their way to the hoop in the first round of the playoffs, and McDaniels was a part of the problem. The Nuggets had no presence in the paint, which Stewart would immediately solve. And the Nuggets had no perimeter defense to stop the Wolves on their drives, which Ellis, Smart, or White would solve.
Defense wins championships. McDaniels' price tag is quite laughable, but it shows where the Timberwolves front office brass is prioritizing to beat the Thunder, Spurs, and Knicks next year. The Nuggets need to do the same, because a 21st-ranked defense obviously won't cut it.
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