NBA Trade Rumors: 7 fringe contenders that need to make a deal

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DENVER, COLORADO – FEBRUARY 10: Jamal Murray #27 and Michael Porter Jr. #1 of the Denver Nuggets talk during a timeout during the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Ball Arena on February 10, 2021 in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Justin Tafoya/Getty Images) /

Denver Nuggets

The Denver Nuggets look nothing like the team that surged into the Western Conference Finals last season.

Nikola Jokic is having an MVP-caliber season, averaging an outrageous 26.5 points on 56.4 percent shooting, 11.5 rebounds and 8.7 assists in 35.8 minutes per game. He’s miles ahead of anyone else in both box plus/minus (11.1) and win shares (5.7), and he’s a hair behind Joel Embiid for the league lead in PER (30.8).

However, the rest of Jokic’s supporting cast isn’t holding up their end of the bargain.

Jamal Murray’s sizzling play from the Orlando bubble hasn’t carried over into this season. Michael Porter Jr.’s scoring upside remains tantalizing, but he’s prone to defensive miscues that park him right in head coach Mike Malone’s doghouse. Denver hasn’t quite recovered from the offseason departures of Jerami Grant and Mason Plumlee, either.

The Nuggets are “expected to be aggressive in opportunities to trade for a star,” according to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer, and they have Gary Harris ($19.6 million) and Will Barton ($13.7 million) to dangle as salary-matching chips. The big question is whether they’ll be able to acquire a star without giving up Porter, or if they’d be better off looking for a versatile, defensive forward to make up for the loss of Grant.

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