NBA Trade Rumors: Surprising new team in the hunt for OG Anunoby

NBA trade rumors have long since identified the prime suitors for OG Anunoby. But now a new team has emerged in the hunt.

OG Anunoby has been featured in NBA trade rumors for months. We’ve already heard that the New York Knicks offered multiple first-round picks for him but the heavily protected picks they were offering weren’t enticing enough. And there were reports that the Memphis Grizzlies and New Orleans were both interested, for their own right and to keep the 3-and-D wing away from each other.

But in his NBA trade deadline primer, Michael Grange of Sportsnet threw out a surprising new team as a possibility:

"“Otherwise, a pair of mid-to-late first-round picks aren’t likely to change the Raptors’ trajectory in the short-to-medium term. Teams such as Memphis and New Orleans have more attractive draft capital and better talent to deal. Denver could be a dark horse too.”"

What could the Denver Nuggets offer for OG Anunoby?

The Nuggets have been heavily featured in trade rumors of their own, revolving around Bones Hyland. They’ve reportedly been shopping the guard for a defensive upgrade on the wing, a role for which Anunoby is ridiculously over-qualified.

Salary matching would be a challenge for the Nuggets since Hyland is still on his rookie contract and the Nuggets don’t have their own first-round picks in 2023, 2025 or 2027 (which means they can’t trade theirs for 2024, 2026 or 2028 either, because of the Stepien Rule). However, the Nuggets could get creative and either try to sell the Raptors on Hyland and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope with a 2029 first-rounder for Anunoby, or Michael Porter Jr., Hyland and a 2029 first-rounder for Anunoby and Gary Trent Jr.

In both cases, we’re talking about massive trades with some massive risk involved for both sides and these deals may fall more under the category of “fun to imagine” than actually realistic.

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