Whoever wins the NBA championship is entitled to a quiet summer. The mission has been accomplished. If the winning team wants to run the exact same core back, they’re entitled to do so. Will the Denver Nuggets have a quiet summer?
Time will tell. The Nuggets don’t have to do much. This team has most of its title-winning core intact. With that said, they may want to tinker with their roster at the margins.
After all, the Nuggets have suffered some losses this summer. Bruce Brown is an Indiana Pacer. Jeff Green is a Houston Rocket. The Nuggets won’t make any blockbuster trades, but they may want to replace these two valuable role players. Here are three deals they ought to consider with that in mind.
Trade No. 1 – Nuggets Acquire Royce O’Neale From Brooklyn Nets
Brooklyn Nets Receive: F/C Zeke Nnaji, G/F Vlatko Cancer, G/F Peyton Watson
Denver Nuggets Receive: G/F Royce O’Neale
In fact, the Nuggets will especially miss Brown. This was a valuable rotation player for this team. Brown’s ability to space the floor, defend multiple positions, and handle the ball made him a key part of Denver’s title run.
Simply put, the Pacers made him an offer that the Nuggets couldn’t match. Now, the Nuggets need to replace him. With that in mind, O’Neale is probably the best they could do. He’s not quite as reliable of a ball-handler or connective passer. Still, he’s surprisingly solid in those areas, and he spaces the floor and defends much like Brown.
NBA TRADES, NEWS & RUMORS: Denver Nuggets, Royce O’Neale, Brooklyn Nets Updates
With that said, the Nets can spare him. In fact, landing a young big man who spaces the floor like Nnaji would make it worth their while. The Nets don’t currently have a stretch big man. Is there another team who might be interested in Nnaji?
Trade No. 2 – Nuggets Acquire Alec Burks From Detroit Pistons
Detroit Pistons Receive: F/C Zeke Nnaji, G/F Vlatko Cancer, G/F Peyton Watson
Denver Nuggets Receive: G/F Alec Burks
Much of what we said about O’Neale can apply to Burks. There’s nothing complicated here. The Nuggets need to replace Bruce Brown, and we’ve got them looking for comparable players. Should the Pistons be interested in this package?
In all likelihood, that depends on their view of Nnaji. In all fairness, he fell out of Denver’s rotation in these playoffs. That’s fine. The Nuggets were title contenders, and Nnaji is young. Playoff rotations tend to tighten.
NBA TRADES, NEWS & RUMORS: Denver Nuggets, Alec Burks & Detroit Pistons Updates
On a related note, the Pistons aren’t likely to make a playoff run next season. Meanwhile, they’ve got a glut of young bigs, but none of them reliably space the floor. With that said, they could decline this deal. The Pistons may want to keep their veterans in an effort to take a step forward. If so, the Nuggets will have to look elsewhere to make upgrades.
Trade No. 3 – Nuggets Acquire Santi Almada From Memphis Grizzlies
Memphis Grizzlies Receive: G/F Peyton Watson, 2025 Second-Round Pick (DEN), 2026 Second-Round Pick (DEN), 2029 Second-Round Pick (DEN)
Denver Nuggets Receive: F/C Santi Almada
Here, the Nuggets are looking at a Green replacement instead of a Brown replacement. Almada would be a solid option.
Granted, he’s not as athletic as Green. He won’t offer Denver the same vertical spacing. Still, Almada is a solid defender who spaces the floor. He can play the 5 or the 4. Functionally, he can fulfill a lot of the same roles that Green did for this team.
NBA TRADES, NEWS & RUMORS: Denver Nuggets, Santi Almada & Memphis Grizzlies Updates
Should the Grizzlies part with him? Not necessarily. At the same time, this team has a logjam of frontcourt players. Almada could be the odd man out. If the Grizzlies feel the same, landing a trio of second-rounders is a good return for him. Still, the Nuggets should be willing to part with that draft capital. It’s not a huge package – the Nuggets, after all, don’t need to make huge moves.
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