The Denver Nuggets, for the last several seasons, have boasted the best player in the world, although they have unssuccfully built a deep roster behind him. The Nuggets owe their first-round pick to the Orlando Magic this summer and don't have much cap flexibility to add a higher-end free agent, so their current roster, barring a surprising trade, is the one they're stuck with.
However, the San Antonio Spurs and Minnesota Timberwolves laid a weird blueprint last season. The Spurs traded their eighth pick to the Wolves for two picks in the very distant future. For a young team already boasting plenty of depth, the trade makes sense.
CBS proposed a deal that would have the Nuggets find themselves in a similar position.
Denver Nuggets stars Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray
Denver Nuggets stars Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray
Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
In the deal, the Houston Rockets would send the tenth overall pick to Denver for a 2032 pick and 2031 swap. The Nuggets' title window is right now, so hoarding future assets, when the team will never have a player of Jokic's caliber to build around ever again, makes little sense, and in a deep draft, they could add a contributor right now.
"There is no way the Rockets want to try to fit a lottery pick onto next year's roster. They just took Reed Sheppard No. 3 overall and didn't even use him," wrote Sam Quinn. "A No. 10 pick is very valuable to an older, thin roster. To a younger, deep team like the Rockets? It's just another asset to throw onto the pile, almost a waste."
Meanwhile, Denver could use a cheap contract.
"The thought of getting a No. 10 pick to develop as a long-term part of the core would be very appealing to the Nuggets," Quinn continued. "He'd start out as a reserve, but could potentially replace one of the expensive starters if the team ever needed to save money."
Adding cheap depth behind Jokic and capitalizing on their unique opportunity while it's still on the table is a must for the Nuggets moving forward.
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