Nuggets Have One Trade Candidate to Monitor Before Deadline

With the NBA trade deadline now sitting just under a month away, the Denver Nuggets and their current roster and rotation appears to be pretty settled for the time being–– showcasing that when healthy, their starting five and depth has the ability to compete with just about any team across the league.

However, while most of the Nuggets roster has found themselves pretty established and settled into their roles going further into the year, there might be one particular name to keep an eye on as a potential name in the trade market, and that's veteran big man Zeke Nnaji.

Upon breaking down one trade candidate to watch on each team over the next couple of weeks, ESPN's Kevin Pelton went on to highlight Nnaji as a name to watch— who has a contract that could be worth a look at as a moving piece in a deal.

"Any move of consequence for the Nuggets likely has to include Nnaji, one of just two nonstarters on the roster with a cap hit greater than $3.2 million this season. (Backup center Jonas Valanciunas, currently sidelined, is the other.) Nnaji has responded well to increased playing time during Nikola Jokic's injury absence, averaging 14.8 points and 1.5 blocks per game while shooting an effective 65% in a recent four-game stretch."

"If Nnaji keeps that up, Denver might not find it necessary to make a move before the deadline. Conversely, if Nnaji reverts to a noncontributor, teams might not want to take back his contract given the Nuggets have limited draft picks to incentivize a deal."

Could Zeke Nnaji Be Traded From the Nuggets?

Of any rotational player in the mix for the Nuggets, Nnaji would stand out as the most likely. Denver's top eight to nine players on the roster feel pretty established unless the front office wanted to make a sudden push to improve their defensive upside. Without seeing this roster fully healthy until the beginning of the season, though, the core pieces seem pretty likely to remain intact before the playoffs arrive.

Nnaji, though, would have the contract, and most recently while this rotation has been beaten-up, the production, to carry some interest onto the market for Denver to make a move, if there were interested suitors offering a worthwhile package.

Jan 7, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics guard Hugo Gonzalez (28) holds onto the ball while Denver Nuggets forward Zeke Nnaji (22) defends during the first half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images | Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

However, as Pelton points out, there could be more reason for the Nuggets to simply settle with Nnaji on the roster, who's been in the building for the past six years and playing some of his best ball while in Denver, rather than make a move.

If the right offer approaches the front office that includes Nnaji as a moving piece, then sure, a small shift could be made to further fill out this rotation. Yet, the more likely outcome for the Nuggets veteran big might be for no trade to take place at all. Nnaji's brought nice production and complementary size to the Denver frontcourt in recent weeks while down both Jokic and Valanciunas, and for as long as they're missing time, his presence will be valued.

Those injury leaves could also very well linger right up to, or past the trade deadline at the beginning of February, which would then give Nnaji further purpose to remain onboard to get valued rotational minutes, rather than be one of the many movers around the league packing their bags to new destinations.

In the NBA, anything is possible, but if everything holds to form over the coming weeks, a Nnaji move at the deadline might just be wishful thinking.

Could Zeke Nnaji Be Traded From the Nuggets?

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