Denver Post Nuggets beat writer Bennett Durando opens up the Nuggets Mailbag periodically throughout the season — and now the offseason. You can submit a Nuggets- or NBA-related question here.
What would it take to trade for Giannis? Would he and Jokic fit next to each other?
— Fred, Aurora
Of course they would fit next to each other, have you gone mad? Imagine the four-five pick-and-rolls — Jokic screening and Antetokounmpo turning the corner to attack downhill, or Jokic ball-handling with Giannis as his lob threat, putting pressure on the paint as a roller. Imagine Jokic’s outlet passes and Antetokounmpo’s fast breaks. Imagine Giannis as the athletic back-line rim protector Jokic needs to cover his defensive flaws.
Now, listen: I thought Giannis and Damian Lillard were a match made in heaven, and we saw how that ended. Nonetheless, believing the two best players of the decade so far would be extraordinary together as teammates … yeah, that’s a hill I’m willing to die on.
What would it take? An extremely convoluted trade framework involving a minimum of three teams, and probably more than that. Jamal Murray would go to a third team (not Milwaukee; perhaps an East contender that’s not interested in acquiring Giannis but is willing to cooperate with sending him to the other conference). One of Cam Johnson, Aaron Gordon, or Christian Braun would also probably go out in the deal. There would have to be a team with multiple good first-round draft picks to send Milwaukee alongside Denver’s No. 26 pick, not to mention a reason to send Milwaukee those picks. That means there would have to be another team in the equation sending a young All-Star to the team with the picks. And then, of course, there would have to be at least one team (likely more) with both the cap space and willingness to eat some salary from the other teams. Probably in exchange for more draft picks.
If the Nuggets were sitting around with five future first-round picks to throw around in trade offers, this would be a real conversation. Instead, it’s about as close to impossible as any NBA transaction can be.
ESPN and Marc Stein both put out that Cam Johnson and Christian Braun are the two main players Denver is trying to trade this offseason, as opposed to the bigger names (Murray and Gordon) you’ve suggested. How possible is it that someone is actually willing to take Braun’s contract, and if so, is it smart to trade a younger player like him to hang onto an aging core? I don’t know if I’ll ever trust Murray and Gordon to both stay healthy simultaneously for a full playoff run again.
— Mitchell, Denver
To be clear, what I’ve reported since the night Denver’s season ended is that Johnson is the Nuggets starter most likely to be traded. Really, that’s been the growing suspicion in league circles since Peyton Watson started to look more expensive by the day in January. The reason I’ve spent more time examining Murray and Gordon as trade candidates than Braun is exactly what you’ve pointed out in your question, Mitchell: Based on conversations I’ve had with league sources, I share your skepticism that teams are lining up to bid for Braun after his down year. Flexibility is the name of the game in this apron era. Everyone is afraid to get stuck with bad money. Cap space and maneuverability are often more valuable than a player under contract for five years.
I do expect the Nuggets to explore the market for Braun — maybe they’ll even pull something off — but the problem they’ll encounter is that potential trade partners will ask for draft compensation to sweeten the deal. And unlike the Thunder and Spurs, Denver is not exactly swimming in future picks. You can’t just panic and keep burning draft assets every time you start to semi-regret an extension you’ve given out. The Nuggets already coughed up their last trade-eligible first-rounder to get off of Michael Porter Jr.’s max salary last summer — speaking of which, if they’re not able to get back at least one equally valuable pick for Johnson this offseason, then trading him to cut payroll would be poor asset management and difficult for team ownership to justify.
If I had to guess what type of team is most likely to bite on Braun, I would look the opposite direction from the playoff contenders that could feasibly show interest in Murray or Gordon. Think about teams backed into a corner that have no other choice but to get younger and be patient for the next few years, rebuilders with less risk in taking on Braun’s contract. Milwaukee? Sacramento?
It saddens me to see all this talk of trading Jamal Murray or AG. What happened to the continuity the Nuggets used to love preaching about? What happened to teams and players staying committed to each other through the hard times? I’d rather see the Nuggets fail to win another championship with the guys I’ve cared about for years than trade away their identity as a team, bring in some guns for hire, and probably fail to beat Wembanyama anyways.
— Adam, Kansas City
It’s a completely fair stance. Sports fandom is an emotional proposition, after all. I’ve seen Adam’s sentiment plenty — that Jokic, Murray and Gordon should be allowed to play together until Gordon’s hamstring falls off the bone or Jokic leaves for a second career in horse racing. I also can’t fault Mitchell in the previous question for wanting to see the Nuggets completely overhaul their supporting cast. The big-picture question of whether it makes sense to break up the band is a genuinely nuanced predicament that weighs basketball ambition against chemistry and nostalgia. Maybe the sentimental approach is too conservative. Maybe the aggressive path forward is nothing but ill-fated, cold-hearted pragmatism. You can convince me of either.
I read that Jrue Holiday was once an alternative to Aaron Gordon, years ago. Why not go get him from Portland now? He doesn’t really fit their timeline, does he?
— Daniel, Denver
He would certainly check multiple boxes for Denver. The soon-to-be 36-year-old provides ball-handling, perimeter defense, veteran leadership, reasonably efficient shooting from the corners. Shoot, most teams would like to have that guy.
Holiday will make $34.8 million next season. Then he has a $37.2 million player option in 2027. If Denver acquired him, it would probably involve Murray going to Portland, and I’m not sure he makes a ton of sense for a team that’s about to get Damian Lillard back from a torn Achilles next season. Or maybe there’s a deal in which the Nuggets send out Johnson and Gordon (or Braun, why not) to two different teams so they can take Holiday back at a lesser salary. Targeting him is a good idea, but the logistics are the obstacle, as with most large-scale trades.
