NBA Draft Rumors 2014: Nuggets shopping 11th-overall pick
In 2014, the Denver Nuggets missed the postseason for the first time since 2003, they year they drafted current New York Knicks’ forward Carmelo Anthony.
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Even after trading Anthony, the Nuggets had enough assets and enough talent to stay afloat. That wasn’t enough for them as they got into the Dwight Howard-Andrew Bynum deal before the 2012-2013 season and acquired star forward Andre Iguodala from the Philadelphia 76ers. However, it was just a one-year stay for Iguodala and he signed with the Golden State Warriors last year. As injuries began to build up (at times the Nuggets didn’t even have someone capable of bringing the ball up each possession), the Nuggets fell back into the pack and didn’t even compete for a playoff spot in the Western Conference.
The Nuggets should have had two lottery picks in the 2014 NBA draft, but traded the Knicks’ pick, which they acquired in the Anthony deal, to the Magic in that mega-deal.
The Nuggets would like to turn things around and could use the 11th-overall pick to add a veteran to their team. According to Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post, calls are “heating up” for the pick.
"“We’ve had a lot of conversations about a ton of different things — picks, trades, we’re pretty active right now,” Nuggets general manager Tim Connelly told The Post.The Nuggets own the 11th selection in the June 26 draft, their highest draft position since 2003, when they took Carmelo Anthony third that year. After the Anthony selection, it was nothing but playoffs until this season, when the Nuggets missed on the postseason with a 36-46 record after advancing to 10 straight.So they’ll retool, and they’ll start by using the pick as a key cog in the improvement. Trading the selection, among other assets, for a veteran or moving up in the draft are the two areas of most interest to the Nuggets."
If the Nuggets do keep the pick, they have shown great interest in the likes of former Duke Blue Devils’ forward Rodney Hood and former Michigan State Spartans’ guard Gary Harris.