Rumors are swirling everywhere you look, with just over a week until the NBA’s trade deadline on Thursday, February 5th at 1 PM MT. The Nuggets have definitely been one of the quieter teams, as the roster is largely set without many realistic pathways to making a big splash.
However, big or not, there are almost certainly going to be some moves on the horizon as the Nuggets have a puzzle to solve in short order. The team is currently $402,000 over the luxury tax. We know they’d like to duck under that threshold by clearing some salary. But we also know that Spencer Jones must be signed to the roster, as he is currently on a two-way deal with his eligibility expiring after five more games.
That means it’s almost a certainty that Denver will try to shed some money in the coming days, with Danny Leroux of the Athletic stating on a recent episode of the Dunc’d On Podcast with Nate Duncan, “I think Hunter Tyson is one of the most likely players to be traded in the entire league at the deadline.”
Hunter Tyson obviously isn’t a sexy name; in fact, he’s the last man on the Nuggets’ bench, clearly outside of the rotation, but that’s exactly why he’s so likely to be dealt. Denver needs to clear a few dollars to sign Jones, and moving Tyson’s $2.2 million deal with a team-option for next season should be the easiest way to do it.
Nuggets will have to add sweetener to offload Tyson
The only problem here is that Tyson has zero value around the league. Taking him on won’t be crippling for most teams, but they’re still going to need to be incentivized to help the Nuggets. It shouldn’t take much, but Denver doesn’t have much to give.
They could possibly attach a far-out second-rounder or some kind of swap, which may be enough, or they may have to dangle Julian Strawther, who could actually have some interest around the league, but they have to do something. Those seem like the most sensible options, by far, and should theoretically make sense for both sides.
It’s a pain to give up an asset of any kind just to save a tiny bit of money. It’s even more frustrating when the team already has the roster spot and is barely even over the luxury tax. They could and should easily spend more money, and this should be no issue at all.
But sadly, as we have seen time and again, the Kroenkes are going to prioritize their bottom line above all else, even winning. We’re seeing it again here. Hopefully, this minor move won’t have any real effect on the season, but these things can add up over time and can become the margins that dictate winning tiles and coming up short.