The Denver Nuggets have made a trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder during the 2023 NBA Finals.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Nuggets are acquiring the least favorable of the Thunder’s first-round picks in 2024, the 37th pick in the 2023 draft and a 2024 second-round pick for a protected 2029 first-round pick.
NBA Finals trade: The Denver Nuggets are acquiring the least favorable of Oklahoma City’s first-round picks in 2024, the 37th pick in the 2023 draft and 2024 second-round pick for a protected 2029 first-round, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 9, 2023
The Nuggets are trying to maximize their championship window and this trade gives them some additional chances at low-cost contracts and trade tools. Meanwhile, the Thunder get another first-round pick.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Denver Nuggets & Oklahoma City Thunder Updates
Denver is up 2-1 on the Miami Heat in the 2023 NBA Finals. Nikola Jokic and Co. are two wins away from winning their first championship in franchise history. While the players and coaches are focused on winning the championship, it appears the front office is looking at the future by making this trade with the Thunder.
“When you look at Nikola, so many people just use an eye test to debate whether he is a good defender or not,” Nuggets head coach Michael Malone said on June 8. “That is just almost unjust, if you will, because you have to get past the eye test. You have to look at all the things that he does. He has great awareness, great IQ, great anticipation, tremendous hands to break things up. They shot 34 percent in the restricted area last night. Nikola was a big part of that. Nikola contested 21 shots last night. He had two blocks. He is doing a lot for us to get to this stage in the Finals, and then for us to have a great defensive performance last night, his fingerprints were all over that game.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Denver Nuggets & Oklahoma City Thunder Updates
“Is he going to go above the rim and block a shot or pin something to the backboard? He is not going to do that, and stop expecting him to do that. But if you really know what you’re looking at, which a lot of people don’t, you take a real sense of, okay, this guy is a good defensive player and he is doing it with an IQ and an awareness that a lot of people just don’t have. I thought Nikola was tremendous last night, as was the rest of our group.”
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