Nuggets Expected to Trade Away Three-Year Veteran Forward

The NBA trade deadline clock is ticking, with just hours before the buzzer sounds, but the Denver Nuggets have stayed quiet. It is clear that the Nuggets are content with their current roster and feel that they can win a championship with this core, but there is one problem.

The Nuggets are about half a million dollars above the luxury tax line, and there is reason to believe that they will be making a minor move at this year's deadline to duck below it. If the Nuggets can stay below the luxury tax line this season and the next, they will save themselves millions by avoiding the repeater tax.

How will they do that, though? While Zeke Nnaji has been mentioned as the player the Nuggets would prefer to trade away, due to his large contract, another player is emerging as their most likely trade candidate: Hunter Tyson.

Why the Nuggets will likely trade Hunter Tyson

Nov 19, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Hunter Tyson (5) during warmups before the game against the New Orleans Pelicans at Smoothie King Center. | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Tyson, a three-year veteran forward, is owed just $2.2 million this season with a $2.4 million team option the next. At that cost, the Nuggets could duck below the tax line by trading him away, but he is not too expensive, like Nnaji, to where they would struggle to find a suitor.

The Nuggets could also look to trade away Jalen Pickett or Julian Strawther for the same reason, but those are two guys that they actually turn to in their rotation, while losing Tyson does not hurt them at all.

NBA insider Jake Fischer recently reported on Bleacher Report that the Nuggets are "holding pat," but they make a move to clear some money and get below the luxury tax. Fischer named Tyson as the most likely player to go.

"For the Nuggets, it'll probably be something more along the lines of just parting ways with a Hunter Tyson-type deal. Someone who's not in their rotation. Probably prefer to do someone like Hunter Tyson compared to Julian Strawther," Fischer said.

Through three seasons in Denver, Tyson has never cemented his spot in the rotation. In just 21 appearances this season, Tyson is averaging 2.2 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 0.8 assists in 7.7 minutes per game, shooting 26.9% from the field and 21.2% from beyond the arc.

As the Nuggets continue to deal with injuries, they will likely have to lean on guys like Nnaji, Pickett, and Strawther for some much-needed depth, while giving up Tyson to get below the luxury tax line is a reasonable move that does not hurt their rotation.

The issue, though, is that the Nuggets would likely need to give up a second-round pick in any trade to entice a team to take on Tyson's salary, and Denver has very limited draft assets at this point. The Nuggets have just one second-round pick (2032) available to trade right now, but that could be all it takes to save the money that they need.

Why the Nuggets will likely trade Hunter Tyson

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