Nuggets' 1st Round Exit Could Make Them an Ideal Trade Partner for Clippers

The Los Angeles Clippers will be active in the offseason to upgrade the roster around Kawhi Leonard and Darius Garland. The front office has expressed a desire to keep the two stars and head coach Ty Lue in place, but improve the rest of the team with the hopes of becoming a contender again. The Clippers have significant resources this summer, including multiple first-round picks that they can trade and cap space. This opens up a ton of opportunities both in free agency and the trade market.

There can be a robust trade market, especially since plenty of teams have disappointed in the playoffs. There could be wholesale changes in a few organizations, like the Denver Nuggets, meaning that capable veterans could be on the move. After an unexpected first-round loss to the Timberwolves, the Nuggets will almost certainly make some trades to retool their roster.

Nuggets' Desperation Could Bring Them to Negotiating Table With the Clippers

The Clippers should try to take advantage of this. Denver will look to shed some salary to re-sign Peyton Watson in free agency without going deep into the luxury tax. They will also prioritize getting younger and more athletic around Nikola Jokic. This means that several high-salary players on their roster could be on the move.

All three starters around Jokic and Jamal Murray are in danger of being traded this offseason. Aaron Gordon ($33.6 million), Christian Braun ($21.5 million), and Cam Johnson ($23 million) make a combined $78.1 million next season.

Gordon has dealt with significant injuries over the last two seasons and hasn't been able to be healthy in the postseason. Johnson underwhelmed as the Michael Porter Jr. replacement. Braun's shooting has regressed significantly this season, making him a tough offensive fit, and he is about to start a five-year, $125 million extension.

Despite all of this, each of them would be a fascinating fit for the Clippers for different reasons. Since the Clippers have significant holes in multiple areas, they could use different types of role players to help fill those roles.

LA needs a defense-first backcourt partner for Garland, and Braun can play that role. They also need more shooting around Garland and Leonard, which Johnson is a good fit for. The Clippers also didn't have any forwards with size who could guard big wings. When healthy, Gordon is one of the best in the league in that role.

Which need is more pressing to fill is in the eye of the beholder. Which of these starters the Nuggets will be more willing to give up is another question, but the Clippers should have varying degrees of interest in each and every one of them.

The important thing here will be the asking price. The Clippers have the cap space to absorb one of these salaries, especially if they use John Collins and Bennedict Mathurin in a sign-and-trade scenario.

Collins plus a first-round pick for Gordon, Mathurin for Braun, and Derrick Jones Jr. plus a first for Johnson are all feasible trade scenarios that the Clippers could entertain. Whether there will be mutual interest in getting such a deal done will be interesting to watch in the offseason.

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