The Denver Nuggets aren't really in a position to emulate the roster-building path the San Antonio Spurs took to get to the Western Conference Finals, building via the draft. But they could absolutely emulate the path the Knicks took, if they're smart, savvy, and have an eye for who to mix in with Nikola Jokic, the only untradeable asset on the roster. The Knicks traded their way to a core around their star free agent signing, Jalen Brunson.
The New York Knicks stormed back for a one-of-a-kind victory in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals over the Cleveland Cavaliers, coming back from a 22-point fourth quarter deficit to take a 1-0 series lead. The Knicks leaned on Brunson in this one, but his supporting cast, which the Knicks acquired via trades, was a big reason the Knicks are in the conference finals in the first place.
The Knicks built around Jalen Brunson
The Knicks performed a series of trades to acquire the other four members of the starting lineup over the last few years.
They acquired Josh Hart in 2022-23 via a four-team trade that brought Hart over from Portland, and the Knicks extended him the following summer. They did the same with OG Anunoby via trade with the Toronto Raptors in 2023-24, extending him the following summer as well.
The Knicks weren't done with the playbook. They traded for Mikal Bridges in the summer of 2024-25, and extended him, too. See a pattern yet? The final piece was adding Karl-Anthony Towns in the trade that sent Donte DiVicenzo and Julius Randle to Minnesota.
Each trade added a piece around Brunson that was better than the last. Plus, the Knicks are set up well for the future with their core, as they're under contract together for two more years.
The Nuggets have the pieces to trade
The Nuggets have the pieces to make solid trades, they're just going to be hard for fans to stomach if they happen. Jamal Murray's value may be diminished somewhat from his playoff performances, but he's still probably more valuable after the All-Star season he had than he was before it.
And then of course there's Aaron Gordon, but his value is up in the air given his injury question mark. However, he can still get the right pieces that the Nuggets could surround Jokic with.
The unfortunate truth is that it shortens the time frame on a painful draft reset like the one the Spurs went through, but it means Nuggets fans have to part with players they like. But that's sports. Knicks fans probably won't think about the players they gave up if they're raising a banner.
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