The Denver Nuggets are coming off a disappointing end to their postseason run, falling to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 7 of the second round. This marked the second straight year that Denver fell in the second round, and the team is expected to be very active this offseason.
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With star Nikola Jokic still in his prime, the Nuggets will look to maximize this core group in place. But there could be some changes coming to Denver following another failed title run.
In a new trade idea from NBA writer Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report, the Nuggets land a perfect co-star for Jokic. Swartz has Denver landing All-Star big Lauri Markkanen from the Utah Jazz.
Here is what the deal could look like:
Denver Nuggets Receive: F Lauri Markkanen
Charlotte Hornets Receive: F Michael Porter Jr.
Utah Jazz Receive: G/F Josh Green, PF Grant Williams, F Josh Okogie, F/C Zeke Nnaji, 2027 first-round pick (lottery-protected via Miami Heat, from Charlotte Hornets), 2032 first-round pick (unprotected via Denver Nuggets)
Landing Markkanen could take some of the pressure off Jokic in the frontcourt for Denver. Jokic isn’t the best defender, and teams will directly attack him to give themselves a better chance at scoring.
But with Markkanen in the mix, teams would need to figure out a different way to gain an advantage. Markkanen could take on the tougher defensive assignments, giving Jokic more energy to run the offensive attack.
A trio of Jokic, Markkanen, and guard Jamal Murray would be lethal to deal with offensively as well. All three can space the floor extremely well, and it would force teams to pick their poison on which big man to focus more on.
Markkanen is a very capable shooter from deep, which would give the Nuggets even more room to space the floor. But he can also take defenders off the dribble to the basket, giving them a different type of big man than they have been used to.
Losing Porter Jr. would be tough, but the writing has been on the wall for him in Denver for some time. Porter Jr. has been in trade rumors for years, and it seems that the Nuggets may want to move on.
Denver has multiple different routes that it can go this offseason, but this could be a move to get them closer to winning another title.
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