In the latest episode of Locked On Nuggets, Matt Moore and Ryan Blackburn discussed a list of players compiled by Ryan that could be possible trade options for the Denver Nuggets.
Denver’s resources are limited, so the names aren’t flashy. Some of them are surprising, and almost all of them would help the Nuggets win a championship. The question is: do the Nuggets have the assets to get them?
Matt and Ryan discuss.
Ryan Blackburn: “Isaiah Joe and/or Aaron Wiggins [of the Oklahoma City Thunder] in a three-team trade where they get re-routed to Denver in a Cam Johnson deal?”
Matt Moore: “Not bad. I think you could take Isaiah Joe off and throw in Kenrich Williams who the Thunder like a lot.”
“It’s not a bad idea. Isaiah Joe would be, what, the second best shooter on the roster? Aaron Wiggins would be the second best shooter on the roster? Those guys can defend. They can drive.”
Blackburn: “Another couple of shooters, Buddy Hield and Luke Kennard?”
Moore: “Going back to Luke Kennard...I do feel like that’s an opportunity for Denver to slide in there...a good question: is Luke Kennard playoff viable?”
Blackburn: “He’s probably just as viable as Julian Strawther is...Is [Kennard] superfluous at that point if you’ve got two shooters that can’t play defense instead of one? I don’t know.”
“At that forward spot, there are another couple of names that we’ve definitely talked about before. Caleb Martin and Cody Martin are interesting veteran wings that could help maybe. They could be on the fringes of a rotation.”
Moore: “Here’s a question: for Cody Martin, which [first round pick] swap would you want to give? And how many?”
Blackburn: “Well, they’re going to want something that’s in the future...I would guess it would probably be a 2030 swap of some sort. Would I be willing to do that [and Zeke Nnaji] for Cody Martin? Probably not. That’s pretty dangerous.”
Moore: “You get rid of Zeke and you add a good player...that’s probably worth it.”
Blackburn: “Other names, Jae’Sean Tate? Probably not going to get traded.”
Moore: “Oh, you can get him. You can get Jae’Sean Tate...you throw out a swap option for Houston and Houston probably does it...now, the problem is Houston’s probably not going to take on your money because Houston’s going to keep the powder dry.”
Blackburn: “What’s going on in Indiana by the way? They’re trying to free up space for Myles Turner I assume in free agency. How available are Obi Toppin, Aaron Nesmith, and Jarace Walker?”
Moore: “Available.”
Blackburn: “If Denver wants to bolster their rotation, those are names I’m looking at.”
Moore: “I just don’t know how you get it done, because they’re trying to clear space, and they’re not going to take on dead money like Zeke.”
For more insight and analysis on the Denver Nuggets and the NBA Trade Deadline, check out the latest episode of Locked On Nuggets!
