“Everything is on the table, except for trading Nikola Jokic.”
That’s the sentiment Josh Kroenke, Vice Chairman of KSE, shared during the Denver Nuggets post season press conference while sitting next to David Adelman, Jon Wallace, and Ben Tenzer. All four are members of the Nuggets organization and expected to factor into the “everything” discussed, meaning changes should be expected to the Nuggets roster.
While the Nuggets regular season was a positive indicator of the changes made during the offseason, the playoffs were the exact opposite. Losing in six games to a flawed and injured Minnesota Timberwolves team says a lot about Denver’s issues. While it would’ve been nice to have Aaron Gordon and Peyton Watson available for the whole series, it doesn’t absolve Denver for the playoff performance they offered.
So, changes are expected. While some of those changes happen naturally through Free Agency and the NBA Draft, others will be more proactive in the form of trades. It would be absolutely shocking for the Nuggets to NOT complete a trade this offseason. In all likelihood, they will execute multiple trades with a few goals in mind:
Get better Get cheaper Change the energy around a perennial contenderNone of the trade ideas listed below will solve all three of Denver’s listed criteria; however, they are realistic and could be options facing Denver as soon as during the NBA Draft on Tuesday night.
No trades will involve Nikola Jokic; however, here’s one trade involving every other player on the Nuggets’ roster:
Tim Hardaway Jr., Bruce Brown, Tyus Jones, and Spencer Jones are also free agents and won’t be included in this exercise. Peyton Watson will be. More on that later. Players listed in ascending order of 2026-27 cap figure.
Jalen Pickett
Denver Nuggets receive: Justin Champagnie
Washington Wizards receive: Jalen Pickett, 2033 second round pick
Reasoning: The Wizards are about to draft AJ Dybansta with the first overall pick. There’s less opportunity for Champagnie now in a situation where Kyshawn George, Bilal Coulibaly, Tre Johnson, and other potential veterans will be added to the wing and forward spots. The Wizards could actually use point guard depth behind Trae Young, and Jalen Pickett is a good flyer to take.
The Nuggets get Champagnie, who much like his brother Justin, is a solid veteran wing that could replace minutes in the Nuggets rotation if needed.
DaRon Holmes II
Denver Nuggets receive: 19th overall pick
Toronto Raptors receive: DaRon Holmes II, 26th overall pick
Reasoning: DaRon Holmes hasn’t had enough time at the NBA level to show what he can do; however, the Nuggets are relatively impatient right now. They’re looking for talent upgrades wherever they can find them, and acquiring a top 20 pick in the draft to select a specific player makes some sense IF that player can play immediately.
The Raptors move down seven spots and take a flyer on a former Flyer. The Raptors are always looking for center help, and there’s a world where Holmes fits in as an excellent option next to Scottie Barnes, Collin Murray-Boyles, and Sandro Mamukelashvili.
Julian Strawther
Denver Nuggets receive: Marcus Sasser
Detroit Pistons receive Julian Strawther
Reasoning: It’s hard to be the backup point guard behind Cade Cunningham, and the Pistons found another guy in Daniss Jenkins who’s really good too. What the Pistons need is more shooting. What the Nuggets need is a guy who can run backup point guard consistently. These are two guys drafted in the first round of the same draft class who both could use a change of scenery.
Zeke Nnaji
Denver Nuggets receive: 2027 second round pick (via DEN), 2029 second round pick (via DET/MIL/NYK)
Chicago Bulls receive: Zeke Nnaji, 26th overall pick
Reasoning: This is the move many are dreading, selling off a first round pick just to part with Zeke Nnaji’s contract. It doesn’t seem like great value for Denver to just give up the pick and get nothing back in return, and from the reaction of opposing fan bases wanting their team to make this trade, I think Denver can bid up the price a bit. They get back two second rounders, including their own 2027 second round pick.
Jonas Valanciunas
Denver Nuggets receive: Day’Ron Sharpe
Brooklyn Nets receive: Jonas Valanciunas, 26th overall pick
Reasoning: This is another way Denver could use the 26th pick, to get an actual player back that could help them win. Valanciunas doesn’t want to be in the NBA, and the Nuggets are probably going to waive him. This way though, Valanciunas gets more money because his contract is automatically guaranteed by the trade. Denver gets back Sharpe, who gives Denver another in a long list of backup center options they’ve cycled through.
The Nets don’t care as much about Valanciunas’ money. They waive him or agree to some sort of buyout so Valanciunas can go overseas. They get the 26th pick. The Nuggets get a backup center they like an save $4 million in the process.
Christian Braun
Denver Nuggets receive: Dorian Finney-Smith, Clint Capela
Houston Rockets receive: Christian Braun
Reasoning: This trade involves some imagination. If the Nuggets are looking for a reset and to give Peyton Watson serious money, this is the kind of trade they will consider for Braun. It doesn’t save them extensive money, but it starts the process. Finney-Smith is a backup forward option and Capela is a backup center option.
The Rockets take a flyer on a player who could start for them at shooting guard next to Amen Thompson, allowing Fred VanVleet to work his way back from an ACL tear in a bench role. Those three and Reed Sheppard would form a better backcourt for the Rockets if they decide to run it back.
Cameron Johnson
Denver Nuggets receive: Cam Johnson, 26th overall pick
Charlotte Hornets receive: Grant Williams, Sion James, 14th overall pick
Reasoning: In this scenario, the Nuggets get cheaper and move up 12 spots in the draft to take a flyer on someone right at the end of the lottery they like. It could be Braydon Burries, Yaxel Lendeborg, or someone else they think could start for them in the future. The Hornets get Cam Johnson on an expiring contract now to be an adaptive forward to their young core and only move down 12 spots to do it.
Peyton Watson
Denver Nuggets receive: Sam Hauser, 2032 second round pick
Boston Celtics receive: Peyton Watson, signed to a Four-Year, $103 million contract
Reasoning: This deal is a unique one. The Celtics can send out a smaller salary and take Watson into a traded player exception generated by the Anfernee Simons trade in the offseason, though they are hardcapped under the first tax apron this way. They don’t care that much because they add Watson to be a starter next to Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum (they could also trade Brown for Giannis Antetokounmpo in the next day or so).
For the Nuggets, they get back compensation for letting Watson walk. It’s not ideal to let him walk, but if Denver decides they don’t want to pay $25 million per year for Watson, they get back something in the form of Sam Hauser, who could start or come off the bench for Denver depending on what they did with the rest of their roster.
Aaron Gordon
Denver Nuggets receive: Isaiah Stewart, Caris LeVert, 2027 first round pick
Detroit Pistons receive: Aaron Gordon
Reasoning: Nobody wants to trade Aaron Gordon, but the Nuggets are in a position where they’re struggling to find the right mix around Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray. In an attempt to rediscover that mix, they send out Gordon for Stewart (a backup center who can play power forward in certain lineups that brings toughness) and LeVert (a backup wing who brings off the dribble scoring creation). They get a draft pick out of it, but there’s no direct replacement for Gordon which might prove challenging.
The Pistons are over-the-moon at this trade. Gordon is an ideal player to slot in next to Cade Cunningham, Ausar Thompson, and Jalen Duren. The Nuggets save some long term flexibility and get worse in the short term.
Jamal Murray
Denver Nuggets receive: Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Jonathan Kuminga, Zacharrie Risacher, 8th pick in 2026 NBA Draft
Atlanta Hawks receive: Jamal Murray, Julian Strawther
Reasoning: This move would be seen as a clear reset for the Nuggets and an All-In move by the Atlanta Hawks. Atlanta just re-signed CJ McCollum and added Aaron Wiggins for a couple second round picks. They take the next step by adding Murray, an All-Star guard, to All-Star forward Jalen Johnson. They still have Strawther, Dyson Daniels, Onyeka Okongwu, Mo Gueye, Corey Kispert, Asa Newell, and some free agency flexibility to add big man help.
The Nuggets do this to reset their team, add the Most Improved Player in Alexander-Walker, take a flyer on two athletic wing/forwards in Kuminga and Risacher, and also get the eighth pick in the draft where they can draft Murray’s replacement like Darius Acuff, Kingston Flemings, or someone similar.
This would be a drastic move, and the Nuggets would have to understand they’re likely to get worse in this situation; however, adding more depth and some higher ceiling scorers would give them some optionality.
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