3 Nuggets Trade Candidates Who Could Be Unexpectedly Dealt

The Denver Nuggets are fresh off a first-round series loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in six games, and now face an offseason with several possibilities on the table for how their roster shakes out come time for opening night next season.

And in the process of an offseason that could see notable roster movement, it inevitably place a few big-name––and in some cases, beloved––players in play to be traded over the course of what could be a franchise-altering summer ahead.

Here's three of those potential surprise trade candidates to keep an eye on as the Nuggets now enter the offseason:

Jamal Murray

There's no question that Jamal Murray holds the most trade value on the Nuggets outside of Jokic. So if Denver truly were serious about hitting the reset button on this core for a brand-new look, dealing the guard who might be on the verge of making his first All-NBA team this season would do just that.

But at the same time, trading Murray is a huge gamble.

Not only is he one of the franchise's most beloved guards ever who's bound to see his number in the rafters one day, he's coming off a season playing his best basketball yet. And if not for a rough six-game stretch at the end of it, the tone surrounding his campaign would be looking a lot different.

On the surface, Murray's still trending towards being on the Nuggets' opening night roster come October. Dealing him, though, might be the only way Denver recoups the right value and pieces to truly build another championship-level core around Jokic in his prime.

Cameron Johnson

If you've been keeping up with Peyton Watson's pending free agency, seeing Cam Johnson's name here might not be a total surprise.

Dealing with Johnson's expiring $23 million would be the most effective and seamless way for Denver to free up the necessary cap to sign Peyton Watson to a pay raise without eating into the luxury tax, and thus retain an even more critical piece for their future endeavors in their two-way wing.

For a team like the Nuggets who have been historically hesitant to pay the tax, this move, or something similar, is well within the realm of possibilities.

But even for as cap-constrained as a team like the Nuggets are, shipping out an expiring deal like Johnson’s would be a real outcome to see transpire regardless of Watson's situation. It ensures Denver isn't losing him for nothing in 2027, and provides extra assets to play with in an offseason where roster turnover feels inevitable.

Aaron Gordon

Seeing Mr. Nugget himself on another team after his tenured history with Denver would certainly sting.

Still, the team is now reaching a pivotal crossroads where Aaron Gordon's fit as a top piece for a championship roster becomes harder to imagine each time his health flares up to hinder his availability.

His dynamic impact alone could net the Nuggets some value on the trade market. And by doing so, he might allow Denver the necessary flexibility in terms of cap and assets to build a more complete, and more importantly, durable core, who can be on the floor for a larger chunk of the year.

Gordon's mightily important to Denver's current success in so many ways, though. So trading him away is a major commitment to shaking up the foundational structure of what's made this team a consistent force in the Western Conference for the past several years. And the Nuggets would have to find some route to replace him.

It's why Gordon might just be the least likely among these three to be on their way out, though it can't be a possibility that's completely ignored in as unpredictable as an offseason the Nuggets have on their hands.

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