Nuggets Unlikely to Trade One Player Outside of Nikola Jokic

The Denver Nuggets have two players who seem to be off-the-table in terms of trade discussions.

Apr 6, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) and center Nikola Jokic (15) in the fourth quarter against the Portland Trail Blazers at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Since the Denver Nuggets were eliminated from this year's postseason, virtually everyone on their roster outside of Nikola Jokic has been linked to some sort of trade buzz.

Whether that be someone in the starting five or down the bench, no one has exactly been deemed "safe" since Nuggets president Josh Kroenke noted that everything was on the table for the team this offseason to get this roster back on track at his end-of-season presser.

However, it seems like in the weeks following Kroenke's comments, at least one other name on the Nuggets roster has been deemed as unlikely to be moved in what is expected to be an unpredictable offseason ahead: Jamal Murray.

Jamal Murray Off the Table in Trade Discussions?

According to a live stream from NBA insider Jake Fischer on Bleacher Report, the expectation is that the Nuggets will make a cost-cutting move at some point this offseason in an effort to retain restricted free agent Peyton Watson.

As to who on the roster could be shipped out to make that money work still remains to be seen. But everyone who's not named Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic seems to at least be "discussable" for the Nuggets' front office.

“In order to pay Peyton Watson… Denver can’t afford to do that without trading another key piece of their rotation and still stick around under the salary apron. That’s kind of been Denver’s hamstring throughout all of this: that they don’t want to be a tax team. And that’s going to make some kind of cost-cutting and some kind of math equation in that front office there.”

“Whether that’s Cam Johnson, whether that’s Christian Braun, whether that’s Aaron Gordon. It really sounds like pretty much everyone outside of Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic is going to be discussable for the Nuggets’ front office leadership group," Fischer said.

While anything can happen over the course of an NBA offseason––especially with where the Nuggets stand in terms of their financial situation––odds are that Murray probably isn't going anywhere.

Apr 30, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) dribbles the ball past Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels (3) in the second half during game six of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images | Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

It's easy to see why the Nuggets would like to hang onto Murray. He's fresh off his best season as a pro averaging 25.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 7.1 assists on 48.3% shooting from the field and 43.5% from the floor–– leading him to a first-time All-Star and All-NBA selection by the end of the year.

It's going to be tough to get that type of player back in return for any deal involving Murray, especially in an effort to also shed costs against the cap. So instead of pivoting off of their star guard, the Nuggets seem more likely to keep building around him and Jokic, while shifting around other pieces on their roster.

Who Could the Nuggets Trade Instead of Murray?

As to who the Nuggets could be more likely to ship out besides Murray and Jokic, that still remains to be seen.

Christian Braun has a poison pill restriction on his contract that'll be intact until the start of July, so he probably won't have any chance of being moved in the next few weeks, and teams may not be too eager to take on his $125 million deal either.

That leaves Cameron Johnson and Aaron Gordon as next in line. Johnson has been widely circled as the name to watch in trade discussions because of his expiring deal headed into next season, but Gordon might not be one to overlook either. He's making over $30 million this upcoming year, and after an injury-riddled season, perhaps Denver is in the market to shake things up.

Expect an unpredictable offseason ahead for the Nuggets, but rest assured that at least their top two stars are more than likely to stay onboard for another year.

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