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Nuggets trade rumors: Denver must add depth on the wing ahead of the deadline
Zach Wolpin is an NBA and NFL expert who's been betting on the league for over three years now. Wolpin has been a fan of the NBA and has been watching for a decade and a half. He covers the latest news and stories surrounding the league daily. His passion in life is watching sports and being able to share that through his sports writing. He has written about the NBA and other sports leagues through various media outlets over the years like Sir Charles In Charge, G-Men HQ, and TAP into South Plainfield. Before he became an NBA News Writer, Wolpin attended Montclair State University where he graduated in 2021. He studied Sports Media and Writing while in school.
All posts by Zach WolpinUpdated4 hours ago on January 15, 2025
On Tuesday, the Nuggets won 118-99 vs. the Mavs for their fourth-straight win. The team is 24-15 and is 8-2 in their last 10. Inserting Russell Westbrook into the starting lineup has proved to be the right move for head coach Michael Malone. This offseason, the Nuggets lost key pieces of their 2023 championship roster.
Bruce Brown and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope are not with Denver in 2024-25. Their presence as wing defenders and two-way players has been missed. Denver’s starting lineup carries a lot of the workload for the team. They no longer have the luxury of bringing high-level players off the bench to give the starters rest. Ahead of the trade deadline on February 6, the Nuggets need to make calls around the league to see if any team would trade a two-way wing. Adding depth at that position would be massive for Denver in the playoffs.
Denver needs two-way depth if they want to be contenders in the West
Do The Nuggets Still Need A Trade?
Backup big
Another wing
Whatever— Robert (Nuggets x Packers) (@LetsTalkNuggets) January 15, 2025
Just two seasons ago, the Nuggets had ample depth on the perimeter. Head coach Michael Malone had a variety of players to choose from off the bench. That included Bruce Brown, Jeff Green, Christian Braun, and Reggie Jackson. When Denver’s starters weren’t on the court, the backups were keeping the team in a position to win. The same cannot be said for the Nuggets in 2024-25. Nikola Jokic and the starters carry a lot of the workload this season.
They no longer have depth pieces on the wing that can come in and keep the team competitive. That’s why Jokic is averaging a career-high (37.2) minutes per game in 2024-25. Denver needs to add depth on the wing if they want Jokic to have enough energy for the postseason. One player who’s been discussed as a potential trade candidate for the Nuggets is Chris Boucher of the Raptors. However, the Nuggets would need to trade a player to acquire Boucher. Aaron Nesmith of the Pacers is another solid bench player who could add depth to Denver. We’ll see if Nuggets’ GM Calvin Booth makes any moves to change the roster before the deadline.
