Nuggets' Cap Crisis Just Gave the Nets One of the NBA's Best Trade Assets

The Denver Nuggets have quickly become one of the biggest question marks in the NBA this offseason. Just three years after capturing a championship, their future is looking quite bleak amid falling over the second apron. This bodes well for a lot of teams, but none greater than the Brooklyn Nets.

Just over a year ago, the Nets and Nuggets agreed on a trade that sent Michael Porter Jr. and a 2032 first-round pick to Brooklyn, while Cam Johnson would see greener pastures in Denver. The former Nets veteran would have a better chance at contributing to a contender, while Porter was dumped into a rebuilding situation.

However, things changed fast. MPJ posted career numbers, averaging 24.2 points on 46-36-86 shooting splits and boosting his trade value. If he and the Nets can't reach an agreement on a contract extension, Brooklyn can always flip him for assets. But the real chip right now isn't the player.

Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes recently ranked the 10 best trade assets in the league right now. At No. 7, Denver's 2032 first-round pick showed up, which should scare Nuggets fans. Meanwhile, the Nets couldn't be happier.

"Whether [Nikola] Jokić is long gone or still around but making a colossal salary during the decline phase of his career (a right he's earned, by the way), the Nuggets are going to have a hard time avoiding some slippage six seasons from now," Hughes wrote.

"Though the sheer number of years it'll take for this pick to convey introduces a ton of uncertainty, the pretty obvious likelihood that Denver won't be a contender early in the next decade makes it intriguing."

The Nuggets entered the second apron after matching the Oklahoma City Thunder's offer sheet to Spencer Jones. With Peyton Watson still a restricted free agent, Denver is in a terrible cap spot at the moment, potentially losing a high-end contributor and homegrown talent.

Jokić has one more year left on his contract before being faced with a $62.8 million player option for 2027-28. He can wait until next summer to sign a historic five-year, $359.5 million deal, but that may only cripple the Nuggets further. Denver can continue to remain competitive and spend money, but they could remain in the second apron. Plus, nothing is guaranteed.

The Nets can only watch with excitement as 2032 nears. With the new NBA Draft Lottery rules, Brooklyn will hope that the Nuggets fall to the middle of the Western Conference, as that would give the Nets the best odds at a top pick.

So, where will Denver go from here? Can they get themselves out of these apron restriction by retooling around Jokić, or will they be forced to let go of the franchise's greatest player by the turn of the decade? Either way, Brooklyn won this trade in a landslide.

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