The 2024-25 season may have come to a disappointing end for the Denver Nuggets, but the future certainly looks bright. In an offseason marked by significant upgrades, the Nuggets will look like one of the best teams in the league in the upcoming season, even emerging as title contenders.
Although the Nuggets rank among the top teams in the West, it is worth noting the presence of reigning champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder, and the newly improved Houston Rockets, along with them. In light of these obstacles in front of them, Denver could still benefit from adding more weapons to its arsenal.
To do so, Sports Illustrated’s Ethen Hutton presented an intriguing trade idea featuring the New York Knicks. Here’s Hutton’s proposal:
Proposed Trade Details
Denver Nuggets Receive: Josh Hart
New York Knicks Receive: Christian Braun, Zeke Nnaji, Peyton Watson, 2031 first-round pick
Hutton’s premise for this trade was based on the Knicks’ need to shed salary. Considering recent reports of their intentions to make key veteran signings, a trade would appear to be the best way to clear the necessary cap space.
Josh Hart is certainly a core piece in New York’s lineup. With a player like him being moved, there is bound to be a significant impact on both teams involved in the trade.
The Knicks Shed Salary
As Hutton mentioned, this trade proposal serves to shed salary off the Knicks’ overall payroll. Considering that Hart is expected to have a $19.4 million cap hit next season, acquiring low-cost pieces like Christian Braun, Zeke Nnaji, and Peyton Watson, along with a future draft pick, could be worthwhile.
The combined salaries of the incoming assets in this trade amount to $17.4 million, with Nnaji being the most expensive at $8.1 million next season. Effectively, this deal would clear $2 million in cap space, allowing them to go approximately $5.7 million under the second apron.
With this, the Knicks should safely be able to sign veteran guards Malcolm Brogdon and Landry Shamet to veteran minimum deals, although they could benefit from making more trades to ensure they remain below the second tax apron.
Aside from helping the team shed salary, the player assets in this trade could also be useful to the Knicks next season, especially a player like Christian Braun.
With Hart’s departure, New York would need a high-energy player with defensive upside. Braun could serve as a solid replacement.
Although he’s not as solid a rebounder as Hart, Braun contributes on the scoring front more effectively. Having established his position as a key player for the Nuggets, he averaged 15.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game, while shooting 58.0% from the field and 39.7% from three-point range last season.
With the Knicks, he is likely to come off the bench, potentially coming on for Mikal Bridges. Given his defensive upside, his three-point shooting efficiency, and his overall offensive skill set, Braun could be viewed as a solid addition.
As positive as Braun’s acquisition could be, Watson and Nnaji may not be as productive.
Since receiving his extension, Nnaji has plateaued as a player. Although he showed solid rebounding upside early in his career, his averages of 3.2 points and 1.6 rebounds from last season may not be viewed positively.
In this regard, Watson may still have developmental upside. Last season, Watson averaged 8.1 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game on 47.7% shooting overall.
As a wing player with offensive potential, the Knicks could look to cultivate his talents. But considering their reported investment in developing Pacome Dadiet, their first-round pick from the 2024 NBA Draft, Watson may find himself entering free agency next summer after his contract expires.
Nuggets Revamped Starting Lineup
This summer has already seen significant changes to Denver’s starting lineup, especially with the Michael Porter Jr. trade, which brought Cam Johnson over to the Nuggets.
In this scenario, the acquisition of Josh Hart would serve to replace Christian Braun in the starting rotation. By adding a tremendous rebounder and defender to their starting lineup, the Nuggets could see an increase in production.
Last season, Hart averaged 13.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game, while shooting 52.5% from the field and 33.3% from three-point range. His contributions on the defensive end would be the most noteworthy upgrade, as he averaged 1.5 steals per game last season.
Revamped Lineup With Hart
PG – Jamal Murray
SG – Josh Hart
SF – Cam Johnson
PF – Aaron Gordon
C – Nikola Jokic
For the Nuggets, adding Hart to their starting lineup would have huge implications for their overall rotation. As a tenacious defender with a penchant for rebounding, Hart contributes by taking over as the point-of-attack defender for the team.
With solid defenders like Aaron Gordon and Cam Johnson supporting him on the wings, the Nuggets could potentially boast the most formidable perimeter defensive unit in the league, too.
Hart’s role only becomes more prominent when considering his bench replacement, Bruce Brown. Given that the two have a similar playing style, the Nuggets gain an increased degree of flexibility with their defensive rotation. This could be crucial while navigating the long regular season.
Overall, this trade makes a lot of sense for the Nuggets. By adding one of the best on-ball and weak-side defenders in the game to its roster, Denver secures its chances of challenging OKC for the title.
This Deal Might Work For Both Teams
Although flawed in some capacity owing to the lack of impact provided by Nnaji and Watson, a swap involving Hart and Braun could prove to be quite beneficial for both teams.
For the Knicks, acquiring a more confident scorer like Braun could prove to be more useful in Mike Brown‘s system. Meanwhile, for the Nuggets, adding a more defensive-minded player like Hart could have more merit in responding to teams with talented guards like OKC.
Barring the inclusion of Nnaji and Watson, this trade could be viewed positively. However, considering New York’s commitment to Hart and his established chemistry with the core, the Knicks could risk losing more by trading him.
