The Denver Nuggets fell flat in their season-opening 87-102 loss to the OKC Thunder, getting blown out at home by the young contending squad. The Nuggets are in a tough spot from a roster-construction point, letting their best shooter Kentavious Caldwell-Pope leave without an external replacement. Shooting on the Nuggets looked bad against OKC, with the team making 7-38 threes.
Nikola Jokic made it a point to call his teammates except Michael Porter Jr. and Jamal Murray ‘average’ shooters, showing that he wants to have some snipers on the court with him.
“I mean, we don’t shoot the ball really well. We are not a good shooting team. Except Mike and Jamal. All of us are kind of streaky. Not streaky, but you know, just average shooters. We have something else, we can probably be better and have advantages in some other areas.”
The Nuggets could remedy this situation with a trade to acquire one of these three potential targets who will greatly bolster the Nuggets’ offensive potential as a knock-down shooter.
Bogdan Bogdanovic
Last season’s stats: 16.9 PTS, 8.1 3PA, 3.0 3PM, 37.4 3P%
Jokic’s national team partner Bogdan Bogdanovic is on a $17.6 million contract with the Atlanta Hawks and could be looking for a new home despite being under contract until 2027. If the Hawks commit to a youth movement, the Nuggets could discuss acquiring Bogdan in a trade to add a morale boost to their team as well as a dose of excellent shooting on the wing.
A trade to acquire Bogdanovic would be complicated, as the Nuggets will have to find a third team to help them make the salaries work, as they are a second-apron team who can’t trade multiple contracts out to accommodate Bogdanovic’s $17.6 million.
This deal would likely lead to the loss of multiple bench pieces for the Nuggets. They have excessive youth but not enough experience occupying those spots on the bench, so it could be a worthwhile move, especially with some young players heading to the Hawks who might embrace a new direction with Trae Young.
Duncan Robinson
Last season’s stats: 12.9 PTS, 7.0 3PA, 2.8 3PM, 39.5 3P%
Duncan Robinson might be one of the NBA’s best pure shooters, converting 39.8% of all perimeter shots in his career. While he’s had some slumps on a poorly-spaced Miami Heat squad, he would thrive on the Nuggets with Jokic’s playmaking and traditional scoring options such as Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. ahead of him. Ensuring a man is stuck to Robinson will be difficult and he’s a lights-out shooter, especially when left open.
Similar to Bogdanovic, the Nuggets will need to arrange a three-team trade with the Heat to acquire Robinson’s $19.4 million. A cast of players including Zeke Nnaji ($8.8 million), Dario Saric ($5.1 million), Christian Braun ($3.08 million), and even Russell Westbrook ($3.3 million) could be used to make up enough salary room to acquire Robinson.
His shooting mechanics are arguably perfect and Robinson has one of the fastest jump shot releases in the NBA. Quick dishes from Jokic or Murray leading to a Robinson three could become the norm in Denver, but the franchise will have to be mindful of adding his poor defensive capabilities in a lineup also including Porter Jr.
Aaron Nesmith
Last season’s stats: 12.2 PTS, 4.6 3PA, 1.9 3PM, 41.9 3P%
An interesting target the Nuggets might have to pay a significant amount to acquire could be rising Indiana Pacers‘ wing Aaron Nesmith. Nesmith has shot 37.5% from three in his career on solid volume, breaking out last season with Tyrese Haliburton’s playmaking creating multiple open opportunities for the wing.
Nemsith is making $11 million, so the Nuggets could arrange a one-for-one trade with the Pacers by using Zeke Nnaji and Christian Braun, but would likely have to fork over draft picks to incentivize the contending Pacers to give up an important part of their rotation. But it might be a price worth paying as Nesmith would be a seamless two-way fit for the Nuggets, with the 25-year-old still having room to grow.
Given the amount of money the Nuggets have tied up to Jokic, Murray, Porter Jr., and Aaron Gordon, acquiring players like Nesmith, who is under contract until 2027, would be a great move by the front office who have boxed themselves into continuing to contend with their big four for years.
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