The Denver Nuggets already have Cam Johnson and Cam Whitmore, so why not add another Cam to the team!?! They need to get on the phone or set up a video conference with the Memphis Grizzlies to see what it would cost to trade for Cam Spencer so the Nuggets can form the Cam trifecta. Because they need his three-point shooting. Badly. And they could actually solve the backup point guard issue in the process if they could make the deal sweet enough. Plus, get into position to get under the second apron and rid themselves of Zeke Nnaji's contract!
Nuggets and Grizzlies trade idea
The Nuggets saw firsthand in their 123-118 win over the Grizzlies what Spencer can do. He was 3-for-4 from beyond the arc, and he finished the game with 15 points on 5-for-7 shooting from the field. Spencer is currently 3rd in the league in three-point shooting at 54.8%, three spots ahead of Jamal Murray. Spencer is a career 44.9% three-point shooter, and he's averaging 9.7 points in 19.8 minutes this season.
Nuggets receive: Cam Spencer, Scotty Pippen Jr.
Grizzlies receive: Zeke Nnaji, three future second-round picks (or whatever the Grizzlies need to complete the deal)
The Nuggets need to make this offer
You can see where this is going and why co-GMs Ben Tenzer and Jon Wallace need this trade idea on their radar.
In Spencer, the Nuggets would solve the bench's lack of three-point shooting by getting one of the best long-range marksmen in the NBA this year. They would also get Pippen in return, and he would instantly move into the backup point guard spot over Tyus Jones, solving that problem.
Pippen is a good scorer, too, averaging 10.0 points across 121 career games. He's often injured, and he's out for a couple more weeks right now, but he's a gamble the Nuggets should take. He's a good drive-and-kick passer, averaging 6.8 drives and making the kick-out pass 47.1% of the time this season in only 16 minutes. And he's a good playmaker, averaging 7.4 assists per 36 minutes last season. He's got quick hands on defense, and he can help pick up opposing guards on the inbound pass.
The financial side would be beneficial for the Nuggets
Sure, losing the three-second round picks acquired this summer via their draft night trade with the San Antonio Spurs, and the trade of Peyton Watson would sting, but it gets them out from under Nnaji, finally. Even if it's the first-round pick acquired in the Watson trade, it's still probably worth it. Nnaji's on the books for $7.4 million this and next season, most likely, as it's a player option, and Nnaji probably isn't turning that down.
But Spencer and Pippen are both on team-friendly deals. Spencer's salary of $2.4 million and Pippen's of $2.46 million would actually save the Nuggets a total of $2.594 million in this trade scenario for this season. They'd have about $556k of salary left to clear the second apron threshold. Plus, Pippen and Spencer are both on the books for roughly the same next year, too.
That would just leave the Nuggets needing to get Tyus Jones to agree to a buyout or have him traded by the deadline to get back under the second apron. Which seems totally plausible. And they'd have money left over to promote Bryce Hopkins from a two-way contract to a standard contract for the rest of the season. Bingo!
The other stumbling block besides Nnaji's contract is simply whether the Grizzlies would even consider the offer. It's a long shot, of course, but the Nuggets don't know whether they can solve three problems—three-point shooting, a backup point guard, and Nnaji's contract—and set themselves up for a fourth by clearing the second apron, unless they pick up the phone to find out. And they should do it today, because this is a best-case scenario trade for the Nuggets.
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