NBA
Denver Nuggets eyeing trade for Chicago Bulls star Zach LaVine
Joe Lyons is a sports writer and basketball expert for Basketball Insiders. Joe has a keen eye for the betting markets within the NBA and a great passion for the game of basketball. also been published by Nottingham Forest FC, working with the academy and senior teams to produce content on matchdays. He formerly covered the Premier League and EFL as an on-site reporter during the 2020/21 season for Prost International. He is an expert in a range of other sports including soccer, horse racing darts and American football. Joe specialises in long form SEO content alongside news, tips and betting.
All posts by Joe LyonsUpdated3 hours ago on December 18, 2024
The Denver Nuggets are looking to increase the talent around Nikola Jokic and their eyes are reportedly set on Chicago Bulls star Zach LaVine.
Nuggets hold ‘significant’ interest in former All-Star LaVine, 29
That’s according to The Athletic, who reported Denver are putting ‘significant focus’ into acquiring him by the trade deadline at the start of February.
The Nuggets are looking to bulk up their roster after losing key pieces such as Bruce Brown and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to free agency in recent years.
Adding a scorer like LaVine could be everything Denver needs to catapult them back to the top of the Western Conference standings and there’s reason to be excited in Colorado.
The 29-year-old is a two-time All-Star, widely regarded as one of the top scorers in the league and for years, he’s been the subject of trade debates for contenders.
His five-year, $215 million contract means he isn’t the easiest player to move – but having Michael Porter Jr go the other way would make the deal a whole lot easier.
Porter Jr is undoubtedly a very talented scorer and shooter who can also rebound well – and he was a key piece of the championship winning team in 2023, but the upsides to adding LaVine might be too tempting.
Denver has discussed potential moves for Zach LaVine, Jordan Poole, Jonas Valančiūnas, Jordan Clarkson, De’Andre Hunter, and Cam Johnson, per @Tjonesonthenba @sam_amick
Their interest in LaVine is ‘significant’ 👀
“The Nuggets have either expressed interest in, or have had… pic.twitter.com/CBIVhlgPc6
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) December 18, 2024
Nuggets likely to make a move before the deadline, LaVine or not
Denver’s trade interest doesn’t stop at just LaVine. According to reports, they have also discussed potential loves for Jordan Poole, Jonas Valanciunas, Jordan Clarkson, De’Andre Hunter and Cam Johnson.
As per the best online sportsbooks, the Nuggets are as big as +1600 to win the championship this year, with teams like OKC, Dallas and New York above them in the pecking order.
For a team with the best player in the world, they should have a bigger chance than that and a roster shake-up is necessary.
