The Denver Nuggets have struggled mightily out of the gate, and despite big win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday, they remain long shots to make noise in the difficult Western Conference. If they strike quickly, they have players that contending teams will covet. Here are just three such deals available to them.
Oklahoma City Thunder Receive: Arron Afflalo, Darrell Arthur
Denver Nuggets Receive: Kendrick Perkins, Jeremy Lamb, 1st Round Pick
Everybody loves picks! This deal would give Oklahoma City the long-range shooter they desperately need to ease pressure on their stars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, while allowing them to add a legitimate scorer to help them along while the aforementioned stars heal from injury.
For Denver, they get a young, cheap Afflalo replacement, a big expiring deal, and a nice first-rounder if OKC can't reach the playoffs. The pick would need to be protected, but the two sides could work that out.
Houston Rockets Receive: Nate Robinson
Denver Nuggets Receive: Clint Capela, Nick Johnson, 2nd Round Pick (via New York)
This is a small trade that will greatly benefit the Rockets while giving Denver two lottery tickets plus what could be a high second-round pick. If the Nuggets don't like the return the Rockets can throw in New York's 2017 second rounder as well.
After trading Jeremy Lin this offseason the Rockets lack scoring punch off the bench. Robinson provides that in spades, and was a real difference-maker in the 2013 postseason in which he lifted the Derrick Rose-less Bulls past a favored Brooklyn Nets team. Right now he is wasting away on Denver's bench, averaging a measly 13 minutes.
Cleveland Cavaliers Receive: Arron Afflalo
Denver Nuggets Receive: Dion Waiters, Brendan Haywood, 2nd Round Pick
The fit of LeBron James with Kevin Love, Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters has looked splendid at times, and sticky at others. This trade would alleviate some of the pressure of juggling so many ball-dominant players, and increase the shooting around James.
Afflalo is an upper-tier shooting guard that falls short of a No. 1 option. He doesn't need the ball in his hands to score because of his ability to catch and shoot. Right now Cleveland is trying out rookie Joe Harris alongside the big guns in that role, so adding a former All-Star is an upgrade.
In Denver, Waiters would be relied upon more as a creator. He could ease the playmaking burden on point guard Ty Lawson, and also is younger than Afflalo with more upside. On top of that, the Cavs have several second-round picks to give away-they could agree to give Denver the highest of those picks if they play hardball.
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