It’s safe to say that the Denver Nuggets’ season hasn’t gone as planned.
The Denver Nuggets entered Sunday's game in sixth place in the Western Conference with a 13-10 record, hadn't won more than two games in a row in more than a month and didn't look like a true title contender. Recently, Nikola Jokic had 56 points, 16 rebounds and 8 assists, but it wasn't enough to prevent the team from losing to the league's worst Wizards. Remember, Washington had lost 16 straight games heading into that game.
Jokic is having another terrible season, averaging 31.5 points per game, second in the league, 13.3 rebounds, and 9.8 assists, second in the league. However, this seems to be one that may be lost to history, as Jamal Murray doesn't seem to have the same springiness on his feet, and the youth Denver is trying to bring in in Peyton Watson and Julian Strawser is still in the pipeline. , making the losses of Bruce Brown and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope the past two summers even more apparent.
So the latest from NBA insider Marc Stein's Substack The Stein Line reveals that Denver is “determined to make roster changes as they have little to offer for Nikola Jokic, who is better than ever Provide support.
No details were provided on who the Nuggets might target, other than to indicate that avenues are limited.
Jamal Murray is ineligible to be traded before the Feb. 6 deadline due to the contract extension he signed in September, as is Aaron Gordon. Michael Porter Jr. could be an intriguing prospect, but the Nuggets are already dead last in 3-point attempt frequency and will have to watch out for further hits in that area depending on who replaces him.
Porter Jr. averaged 18.9 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 23 games, while shooting a career-low 38.3% from three-point range (excluding the 2021-22 season, in which he played only 9 games).
Depth is a major issue for the Denver Nuggets, and it will be interesting to see if Porter Jr. can acquire multiple quality role players in return who can defend better while expanding the three-point threats on the roster, even if none of them can. Offering such a good three-point threat, it probably makes sense.
On The Athletic NBA Daily Podcast, Nugget defeated DNVR Sports reporter Adam Mares, who suggested a trade with the Hawks that would include sending Porter Jr. and salary-fillers to Atlanta, while Bogdan Bogda Norwich and possibly De'Andre Hunter are back in the opposite direction.
This, at least in theory, would add depth to Denver's rotation options, scoring and playmaking. Bogdanovic clearly has plenty of experience playing alongside Jokic for Serbia.
Atlanta will be getting a wing that is still young, talented and has plenty of playoff experience. Porter Jr. and Trae Young are AAU teammates and very close friends.
Regardless, it seems like the Nuggets must make some kind of change before the deadline to increase their chances of winning the championship.
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