Picture it now. For the first time in a decade, the Denver Nuggets could start a game without Jamal Murray on the roster. But what if the Nuggets rolled out Kawhi Leonard as the ultimate defensive stopper to put alongside Nikola Jokic? On paper, the trade works. But would the Clippers go for it?
The Nuggets should go for it and not think about it twice if they could pull this one off. Leonard would have been exactly what the Nuggets needed in the first round of the playoffs against the Minnesota Timberwolves. He's a defensive stopper, a two-time Defensive Player of the Year, and a seven-time All-Star.
The trade could be simple. The Clippers can send the Nuggets Leonard, and the Clippers get Jamal Murray and whatever package they need within reason to get the deal done. The Clippers could take Julian Strawther on a flyer with upside, or they could take a chance on DaRon Holmes, or perhaps both. Whatever the Nuggets need to do on the edges of the trade should be done.
Leonard would pair so well with Jokic
Leonard will be 35 next year, but he just had another All-Star season with the Clippers, and he played 65 games to qualify for the NBA's All-NBA Second Team, the seventh time he's been named to either the first or second team.
Leonard averaged 27.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, and shot 38.7% from beyond the arc while producing 1.9 steals and 0.4 blocks in 2025-26, and he'd be the best player to play with Jokic during the Jokic era. Sorry, Mal.
The perimeter defensive issues would be immediately solved, and Leonard could have more open threes to knock down and would have more spacing to drive to the rim and get a nice mid-range jumper off. It's a boon for the offense and defense, but mostly the defense.
Can you imagine a starting five of Joker, Aaron Gordon, Kawhi Leonard, Peyton Watson, and whoever the Nuggets can pick out of college in the first round? The Nuggets simply need a capable, ball-control, pass-first, defensive-oriented point guard for that lineup.
Nuggets would have cap woes still, but who cares?!
The Nuggets are going to have cap woes as long as they pay Jokic a max contract extension, so ownership better get comfy paying at least the first apron fines and repeater taxes moving forward, or they risk letting Joker's prime go to waste. But who cares about some fines when you have a former DPOY in Leonard and a three-time MVP Joker playing together in the playoffs?
The first apron fines and penalties should be doable for the Nuggets, and there's no reason not to explore this option to give Jokic and the Nuggets the best chance to win next year.
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