Injuries have really hit the Denver Nuggets hard this NBA season, resulting in them only being 12-12 and jockeying for playoff position in the Western Conference. Denver is going to be an up-and-down team in the NBA all season long because of the fact that two of their top three talents are currently out indefinitely.
Reigning league-MVP Nikola Jokic is still playing at a high level for this team, but Jamal Murray is still in the early stages of his rehab from an ACL tear near the end of last season and Michael Porter Jr. is out indefinitely, possibly for the season, after undergoing back surgery.
Not only is this team without Murray and Porter, but they will also be without key bench talent P.J. Dozier after he suffered a torn ACL a few weeks back. The Nuggets are very short-handed and as a result, they could look to make a big move ahead of the trade deadline to remain championship contenders.
Jokic can only do so much for this team and while Will Barton, Monte Morris and others have stepped up for this team, they are still lacking talent to be considered a championship threat in the Western Conference. Nobody will want to play Denver in the playoffs because game-planning for Nikola Jokic is a nightmare, but outside of him, nobody really scares teams on this roster.
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Will Barton can get going here and there, but if this team is to remain relevant this season, they are going to need to go out and spend money in order to bring in another impactful talent, preferably on the wing to replace Michael Porter Jr.’s production.
The Indiana Pacers have struggled this season and are currently 11-16, resulting in reports surfacing about them possibly looking to rebuild. If the Pacers are interested in trading away talent, then Caris LeVert could be a player the Denver Nuggets think long and hard about.
They need another productive scorer next to Will Barton on the wing and since joining the Pacers, LeVert has been productive on offense. Averaging 14.9 points and shooting 42.4% from the floor this season, Caris LeVert has not been having his best season, but he is a reliable scorer with the ball in his hands.
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Not being as much of a three-point shooting threat could spell some trouble for Denver if they were to acquire him, but nonetheless, he is a high-level player that they could look to add ahead of the trade deadline.
So how can the Denver Nuggets make this trade work given their cap situation? Let’s take a look at who the Nuggets would have to trade away in order to have a shot at landing LeVert from the Indiana Pacers.
