Could the Denver Nuggets be in for a big roster addition mid-season?
Since securing a title in 2023, the Nuggets have been chasing the same level of dominance on the court that they had during that run. Given their roster construction, improving the roster through trades or free agency hasn’t exactly been a viable option.
The Nuggets have run into issues with having minimal assets or free agency to make any trade of substance. However, with a clear need of depth, a trade could be the only way Denver is capable of making noise this season.
With teams figuring out their ceiling on the season, more squads might be open to trading players off their team and gearing toward the future. The Brooklyn Nets are one of those teams, as they’ve already moved on from Mikal Bridges and will continue making moves to usher in a new era.
The Nuggets might be thin of options in the trade market. As mentioned, cap space flexibility and limited assets could get in their way.
With the Nets not having extended fourth-year guard Cam Thomas, the young star might be available for trade. Brooklyn could be in the hunt for draft capital, given their transition into a rebuild. The Nuggets should try and get in the bidding for Thomas, which is what Paul Pierce claimed in a recent episode of “Ticket & The Truth.”
“Alright, let me put my GM hat on,” Pierce said. “I think right now, for Cam, I’d like to see him off the bench for Denver. …Because they need that spark plug off the bench.
“I like Westbrook, but you need that young guard, like they had in Bruce Brown. They missing that spark. They lost Brown, they lost KCP.”
The Nuggets’ bench has been so obviously hurting. Landing Westbrook helped lighten the load, but to Pierce’s point, the team needs some youth, specifically off the bench in a player who can lead the second unit.
Not only would Thomas elevate the bench, but he’d be able to be slotted alongside Jamal Murray, creating more floor-spacing for Nikola Jokic and playing off the superstar center.
Again, Thomas is a young asset. The 23-year-old guard is averaging 24.6 points per game in an average of 34.1 minutes while knocking down a career-high 39% of his 3-pointers. This has come in 14 starts in 14 appearances in an expanded role.
The Nuggets don’t exactly have future draft capital nor young assets to work with — two things the Nets will be looking for in a trade partner.
Given the Nets are gearing towards the future, creating financial flexility and adding draft capital to draft young talents to develop is crucial. Trading Thomas gives them an opportunity to accrue more capital and assets, which will ease the load on their rebuild.
However, the Nuggets will need to try to pull some strings, as adding a scorer like Thomas could re-enter them well into the title contending conversation.
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