In a season undoubtedly up-and-down for the Denver Nuggets, their recent stretch has shown some signs of life.
Nikola Jokic is enjoying another MVP-level season, averaging a career-high 32.3 points, 13.6 rebounds (first in the NBA) and 10.2 assists. Although the Nuggets sit at just seventh in the Western Conference, there is no doubt that Jokic is having an all-time great regular season.
The struggle for this Denver squad, though, is not the star power. The core of Jokic, Jamal Murray, Michael Porter, Jr. and Aaron Gordon will produce. The surrounding depth, however, has severely dwindled over the past few seasons. With the untimely exit of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Denver's bet on Christian Braun and the youth movement to supersede KCP's three-point shooting has not paid off.
Denver is shooting the fewest three-pointers across the league at just 30.5 attempts per game, converting 38.2 percent of them. A disgruntled Jokic has not hidden from this problem, voicing his frustrations after the first game of the season in a post-game media conference.
"We don't shoot the ball really good. We're not a good shooting team, excepting [Michael Porter, Jr.] and Jamal [Murray]. All of us are kind of streaky - not streaky - but you know. Just average shooters."
Denver's subpar shooting has made their biggest need in the coming NBA trade season apparent - put shooters around the best big man in the league. Unsurprisingly, this has led to countless trade proposals and discussions circulate online - some better and some worse.
Denver Nuggets point guard Russell Westbrook Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
New Nuggets trade brings in a veteran shooter
Recently, a mock trade proposal from Matt Levine of Boston Celtics on SI suggested a possible solution for the Nuggs.
In a proposal Levine describes as "wild and unlikely", the Denver Nuggets ship former league MVP Russell Westbrook to the Boston Celtics in a three-team deal. The Chicago Bulls join the fray as the third team involved, helping facilitate the transaction.
Nuggets receive: Torrey Craig
Celtics receive: Russell Westbrook
Bulls receive: Jaden Springer, 2030 second-round pick (via BOS)
This deal divorces Westbrook from the Nuggets, taking the player famous for triple-double seasons away from the superstar currently averaging a triple-double. In return, though, Denver brings in Craig, a veteran wing with a career 35.4-percent shot from the arc. For every positive in Westbrook's game, he is far from being the sharpshooter the Nuggets need.
This year, Craig has converted 38.9 percent of his three three-point attempts per game. Unfortunately, Craig has only played in six games this year, offering a small sample size. Last season, Craig missed just under half the regular season due to injury, playing in 53 matches.
Even with some possible health concerns, does Craig make the Nuggets better? Does this proposal make sense for all three teams?
In short, the real answer is no. Starting with the reigning champions, Westbrook is antithetical to what Boston has built under head coach Joe Mazzulla. Whereas the Nuggets shoot the fewest threes per game, the Celtics lead the league with 51.4 long-range attempts per game. While losing Springer would not impact this much, there is little incentive for Boston to surrender one of their few young players and a future pick for Westbrook.
The former MVP guard would likely average the fewest minutes per game of his career with the C's, making it a poor fit for both parties. As for the Nuggets, Westbrook's bad shooting is the least of their worries with depth. Westbrook is an athletic point guard who can still score at will at times, and his talented playmaking and passing helps keep the ball moving with the second unit.
The Bulls may be the only team who truly benefit from this deal. As a rebuilding franchise, Chicago could make use of Springer as a potential rotation player for the future.
In total, the Denver Nuggets clearly need change. They cannot afford to waste a year in the ever-closing championship window in the Jokic era. Denver has lost numerous glue guys since their 2023 title, including Bruce Brown and KCP. Essentially replacing these two elite role players with Westbrook was a mistake by the front office, but attempting to flip him for Torrey Craig will only solve one issue while creating plenty more in the backcourt rotation.
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This story was originally published December 11, 2024, 10:15 AM.