Ranking the top 5 Denver Nuggets most likely to be traded this offseason
By Ben Handler
3.) 2024 1st Round Draft Pick
The Nuggets have very little draft capital to play with, but they do still own this year’s pick, which they can officially trade on draft day. The pick falls very late in the first round, 28th overall, but any first-round pick is still a solid asset on the trade market. The Nuggets have been drafting players at the end of the first round for the last several years and some of those picks have shown some promise, but I’m not sure they can afford to add another rookie to the end of the bench right now.
They are already struggling to balance the urge to win now with trying to get some reps for all of their recent draft picks and the result has been a lot of players sitting on ice. If there is a player available at the end of the first round who the team loves and is keyed in on who they think can play and make an impact right off the bat (like Braun did) then so be it.
But the more realistic option would be dangling this pick and seeing if they can get back a useful rotation player who fills a need. The Nuggets basically ended the season with six playable options and no real backup center or point guard. On top of that, they are at risk of losing several key players to free agency.
The Nuggets need to do whatever they can to shore up the bench and add some depth to the roster. Trading the only first-round pick they control until 2031 is obviously a risky proposition, but it’s also their best bet to make the team better without giving up an important player.