Why the Nuggets Should Do Whatever It Takes to Trade Zeke Nnaji

The Denver Nuggets are in a bit of a cap crisis right now.

According to CapSheets, the Nuggets are set to pay over $65 million in luxury tax this upcoming season with their current roster signed under contract. They're also over $2 million above the second apron line.

That, however, doesn't include a new deal for restricted free agent Peyton Watson. If signed, especially to a deal that he's rumored to be commanding, he could take Denver to a historic luxury tax payment that the franchise has never paid throughout their time in the NBA.

So the Nuggets––somehow, some way––need to go out and make a trade to shed some cap. And the easiest way to do that might just be to make a deal involving veteran big man Zeke Nnaji, even if it costs them some of their future draft capital.

Zeke Nnaji's Contract Is Bad–– And Denver Needs to Move It

The Nuggets have a few questionable contracts signed onto the books, but one of the ugliest of those might just be the deal that Nnaji has. He'll be getting paid nearly $15 million over the next two seasons, so long as he accepts his player option for $7.4 million next summer.

For reference, that contract is currently ranked sixth in highest value on the Nuggets' roster for next season, and will be top five entering next summer, when factoring in that Cameron Johnson will be a free agent.

Nnaji, who might be a third-string center on this Nuggets roster, is not worth that type of money, which comes out to nearly 5% of Denver's total salary cap for a player who is far from a lock in the nightly rotation.

Mar 1, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Zeke Nnaji (22) before the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Last season, Nnaji played in 52 games for the Nuggets to average 3.7 points, 2.6 rebounds, and shot 47.0% from the field in 12 minutes a night. It's the first time that he's averaged over 3.5 points per game in a season since 2023.

But Nnaji has never averaged more than 7.0 points per game, and has never played more than 60 games in a season. He's objectively on a bad contract, especially when factoring in that he's being paid more than players like Spencer Jones and Julian Strawther.

Denver has a lot of steep contracts around their roster, especially at the top of their depth chart, of the likes of Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and Aaron Gordon. Of course, Christian Braun's $25 million AAV will now factor into the equation as well, as his five-year extension begins this coming season.

But all of those players, while steep contracts, contribute for the Nuggets with a high number of minutes, and are big components of their success on the floor. Nnaji, who is paid like a high-end rotational player, might not be one of the top 11 guys in it.

Bottom Line

So rather than the Nuggets— who probably need to shed cap space in the coming weeks— trading away one of their starters to make room for a new Watson deal needs to be the first move made to get Denver to the financial spot they need to be.

Could the Nuggets have to part ways with future draft assets to make the Nnaji deal happen? Absolutely. Thanks to their recent draft-day trade down with the San Antonio Spurs, though, Denver now has three second-round picks through 2033.

One, or multiple second-rounders, might be enough to sweeten the pot alongside Nnaji to send to a rebuilding roster, and shed a little bit of money from the books. Denver's finances can look better, and one of their worst contracts can be wiped clean for the next two seasons.

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