Nuggets Likely to Make Small Move Before Trade Deadline

It looks like the Denver Nuggets could try and make at least one move around the edges of their roster leading up to next month's trade deadline, all in an effort to save a little bit of cap space.

According to a recent report from Jake Fischer of The Stein Line, league personnel has begun to anticipate the Nuggets making a small trade in the coming days or weeks to evade the luxury tax— a line they sit above by just over half a million dollars.

"Another accounting topic: League personnel anticipate that the Nuggets will soon execute a small move of some sort to evade the luxury tax since Denver currently hovers roughly $500,000 above that line," Fischer wrote.

"The Nuggets, sources say, are confident that they'll be able to do so without sacrificing anyone from their preferred rotation … with Denver also emboldened about its chances for contention when fully healthy given its promising 9-6 record without the injured Nikola Jokić"

The Nuggets, who have historically been hesitant to dive deep into the luxury tax, don’t appear too willing to shift that stance this year.

In order to do that, it may require a small move to shed some salary off the books for that to become feasible––something Denver appears confident can be done without disrupting their current rotation.

Nuggets Looking Increasingly Likely to Make Trade Deadline Move

As to what that move could or will be to allow Denver to dip below that luxury tax line, it remains to be seen. But make no mistake that the Nuggets' front office brass is sorting through their options diligently behind the scenes.

One of those options could be to ship out veteran big man Zeke Nnaji, currently signed onto a three-year deal making over $7.4 million a season, and might've played well enough during his recent stretch while Nikola Jokic has been sidelined in order to generate interest around the market.

The Nuggets might also have additional interest in making a move to shed salary in order to free-up money to sign two-way standout forward Spencer Jones.

Jones is currently eligible to play less than five regular season games before being required to sign a traditional NBA contract— something Denver is willing to do to retain their defensive-minded wing for the rest of the season, but might want to escape any luxury tax penalties before bringing him onto the main roster.

Jan 20, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Spencer Jones (21) reacts after a play in the third quarter against the Los Angeles Lakers at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Of course, the Nuggets would likely still bring Jones aboard their active roster without a move to shed salary and evade the luxury tax, but more likely than not, this front office would be eager to save that money if given the opportunity to do so.

Therefore, expect the phones to stay active up until the buzzer sounds for deals across the league. The Nuggets have until February 5th to make that shift in order to bring down their total salary, or make any other moves to the roster they'd like before embarking on their championship push.

Nuggets Looking Increasingly Likely to Make Trade Deadline Move

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