Grade the trade pitches: NBA writer & podcaster offers 4 Nuggets deals for summer

Trade idea #1: Nuggets flip Zeke Nnaji and Reggie Jackson to Charlotte for Nick Richards and Vasilije Micic

This would be an incredible deal for the Nuggets as they’d basically just be upgrading at two positions. Richards is a very solid backup center and is still just 26 years old. Micic is 30 years old, but he just came over to the NBA last season. He’s proven to be a very solid offensive guard already.

Unfortunately, for the reasons I outlined above, I’m not sure why the Hornets would agree to this trade. They’d have to be extremely high on Nnaji, otherwise, I think the Nuggets would have to add some draft capital or another young player to make this deal work.

But the overall idea is a good one. The Nuggets would be trading a project in Nnaji and someone who is mostly washed up in Jackson. Those guys should not be in the rotation for an NBA championship contender. Richards and Micic can both play and would immediately be upgrades to Michael Malone’s bench.

The Nuggets should be willing to toss in some second-round picks if they need to sweeten the deal. It’s not crazy to think the Hornets could be looking to move Richards and/or Micic, but if they do, those players should draw some solid interest and they’d likely be able to get more than the Nuggets can offer. If the Hornets would do this deal then this is a no-brainer. 

Realistic rating: 4/10

Grade for Nuggets: A

Grade for Hornets: D