Five Trade Rumors Surrounding The Denver Nuggets This Offseason
By Andrew Dill
Nov 21, 2012; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves power forward Kevin Love (42) rebounds against Denver Nuggets small forward Kenneth Faried (35) during the third quarter at Target Center. Nuggets won 101-94. Mandatory Credit: Greg Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Editor’s Note: This is a guess post from Justin Becker of FantasyBasketballMoneyLeagues.com. You can him on twitter @NBAandNFLInfo or on theFantasy Basketball Money Leagues Google+ Page, and for morefantasy basketball rankings visit Fantasy Basketball Money Leagues.
The Denver Nuggets are going to try and make a turnaround for next season. They had a disappointing season last season and need to get back to their winning ways. After setting a franchise record during their 2012-2013 campaign with 57 wins, last season was ruined with a slew of injuries. The Nuggets finished the season 36-46 and also missed the playoffs by a total of 13 games.
In the Western Conference, mediocre play will not get you very far. The Nuggets failed to play well on the road, 14-27, against their division, 5-11, and in their own conference, 20-32. Although they don’t need a lot of help on the scoring end, their defense will need a lot of work. The Nuggets scored 104.4 points per game, but allowed 106.5 points per game to their opponents.
With most of their injured players set to make a return next year, the Nuggets will still need some help in order to compete in the Western Conference. The West proved to be a much more difficult conference to win in last year, compared to the Eastern Conference. There are a lot of talented players on the trade block this summer. With Denver’s package of young, promising players and the eleventh pick in the NBA Draft, the Nuggets should have no problems bringing in the help they need for next season.
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Here are the five biggest trade rumors surrounding the Denver Nuggets this offseason:
The Nuggets have found themselves with the possibility of grabbing the biggest trade rumor this offseason. Kevin Love has been in talks around the league and it seems everyone is putting in a bid for the All-Star. The reported deal would involve a third team to help sweeten the deal. It would include the Nuggets sending Kenneth Faried and Wilson Chandler to Minnesota for Kevin Love. The third team would reportedly be the Orlando Magic.
If the Nuggets can secure a deal with the Magic to send Arron Afflalo to Minnesota as well, it would make the deal more appealing to the Timberwolves. Wilson Chandler can be a great scorer and team asset if he finds the right team and role. Faried is the best young rebounder in the league and has also shown glimpses of fantastic scoring ability. Afflalo just had his best year in the league last year, including shooting over 40 percent from beyond the arc. Those three players would replace Kevin Love indefinitely and might even give the Timberwolves a better shot at making the playoffs.
Chicago Bulls
There has been a rumor surrounding the Chicago Bulls and Denver Nuggets. The Bulls hold the 16th and 19th picks in the NBA Draft this year, but they have been trying to move up in hopes to grab a shooter. Rumors have circulated that the Bulls are willing to trade their two picks to the Denver Nuggets, which would move them up to the eleventh pick in the draft. This would allow the Bulls to get someone like Nik Stauskas or Gary Harris. The Denver Nuggets wouldn’t be losing too much, though. Looking at how deep this draft is, the Nuggets would still be able to grab two young, talented prospects to improve their bench.
Kenneth Faried
There have been some rumors of a trade that would send Kenneth Faried to the Chicago Bulls. Although it was reportedly denied by the Nuggets, sources stated that trade negotiations weren’t terminated between the two teams. The Bulls would be able to offer Taj Gibson, who has been extremely valuable off the bench, as well as some draft picks. It seems as though Denver is valuing Faried very high this summer, making it difficult for other teams to grab him. Faried has been playing very well and has only missed four games in the past two years. A lot of teams would love to have him, but the Nuggets are a little hesitant to let him go.
Asik has been searching for a way out of Houston for a while now. With the Nuggets searching for help defensively, Asik would be a great addition. Ever since Dwight Howard arrived in Houston, Asik hasn’t been giving the amount of attention he deserves. All Houston would need is someone to come off the bench when Dwight needs a rest. Denver can give that to them in J.J. Hickson. Houston would also be able to get Quincy Miller, who is a young, talented player. He’s still got a lot of room for improvement and can still be very valuable to a team. I think Denver would hit a home run by adding Omer Asik to their team and they would come back next season way better than they were last year.
If the Denver Nuggets are still looking for a down low presence that can help them both defensively and offensively, Marcin Gortat would be a great addition. It has been rumored that Marcin may leave Washington, so you know that a lot of teams are going to be looking to add him. Denver has a lot to give that would spark the interest of the Wizards. They have already been in trade rumors before, so it would be nothing new to the two teams. Denver could get rid of Hickson and Anthony Randolph, which would give Washington a center and a tall shooter.
Conclusion
There’s no doubt that the Denver Nuggets will be looking for help this offseason. They have a lot of possibilities, but it looks like they are making Kevin Love their first option. Well, Kevin Love is probably every team’s first option. It seems as though Denver will get things done this summer and make the moves they need to in order to come back stronger next year. In addition, they will have players like Danilo Gallinari, Nate Robinson and J.J. Hickson returning from injury, they should find themselves in the playoffs next season, contending for the ultimate trophy. Don’t count the Nuggets out just yet, they have always done right in the offseason.