All season long, we’ve been hearing about how the Nuggets need to make an upgrade to the roster, but also how that’s almost impossible. They need to win now, during Nikola Jokic’s prime. The man is playing at an MVP level yet again, the roster around him needs to be up to snuff so that this team can compete for titles.
But, until a recent hot stretch, the roster simply hasn’t looked good enough. Guys have been coming along and things are getting better, but they’re still one player short of a true championship-caliber rotation.
The problem that has become clear, is the Nuggets have little means to add that player. They’ve largely depleted their draft capital and they have no tradeable contracts in the form of young prospects, big expiring deals, or solid misplaced role players. The Nuggets have very little to entice teams to make trades, causing them to miss out on solid trade candidates.
They’re stuck in a tough spot with no clear path out. One player that has been all over the trade rumors is former Nuggets champ, Bruce Brown. Brown was outstanding for the Nuggets but played so well that the team couldn’t afford to keep him.
Brown signed a massive deal with the Pacers and he’s now in the final year, making $23 million for the Raptors. That’s a salary that makes a trade to the Nuggets a nonstarter. But luckily for Denver, that may be the case for the rest of the NBA as well.
Nuggets would love reunion with Bruce Brown on buyout market
NBA Insider Jake Fischer reported on Monday that the Raptors are “very motivated” to trade Brown and his $23 million to further their haul from trading Pascal Siakam last season (the deal that landed Brown to Toronto). But as no market has materialized, Fischer writes that Brown could become a buyout candidate.
He also notes that sources have indicated the Nuggets would “love a reunion” with Brown and they are a team to watch if he reaches the buyout market at all. This would be incredible news for the Nuggets and a far better outcome than anything realistic in a trade package.
This would be an ideal player, one that has already proven his fit in Denver, returning as the missing piece. The Nuggets could acquire Brown without losing a player from the current rotation or parting with their already scarce draft capital. It would truly be a dream scenario.
The fact that it’s even being talked about by Fischer is incredibly exciting, but it’s still far from a reality. The Raptors will do everything in their power to move Brown before the February 6th deadline. If he does survive the trade deadline and the Raptors buy him out, there will be fierce competition for his services. Hopefully, he fancies a return to Denver, but we don’t know that. Fischer also mentioned the Lakers as a possible landing spot.
On top of all that, thanks to the new CBA, the Nuggets would need to clear salary to even be allowed to sign Brown once he’s bought out. Denver would have to shed salary to get under the apron as teams above that threshold cannot sign players with an initial salary higher than $12.4 million, even if they are bought out.
So, overall this may be a bit of a pipe dream, but at least it has been put out in the ether. Fischer is about as reputable as they come and for him to find this worthy of reporting in his notebook means it’s a possibility. Let’s hope it comes to fruition as this would improve the Nuggets title chances more than any other currently fathomable move.