Nuggets Trade Possibilities (Shut up, It's a Good Title)

OK everyone. It’s time to discuss (and by discuss I mean I write things and you read them) trade possibilities. There is nothing better than useless speculation and blatant lack of knowledge about salaries and the luxury tax system, right?

The primary argument made involving the Nuggets and why they need to make a move is that they don’t have enough size to hang with Lakers centers Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum. While the Nuggets frontcourt of Nene, Kenyon Martin, and Chris Andersen is one of the best in the whole league, Denver would be in worse shape than Charles Barkley after a pie-eating contest if any one of those three got injured.

That being said, assuming the Nuggets need to acquire another big for the purposes of rebounding and defending is also assuming that reserves like Johan Petro, Malik Allen, and Renaldo Balkman would not be able to combat the likes of Gasol or Bynum. That assumption would be absolutely correct. I will leave out any arguments regarding why we would keep Petro or acquire Allen in the first place because they have no bearing on what Nuggets management might need to do now.

It is important to keep in mind that trades involve more than just one team, and while it is great to ponder which players in the league would be good fits on the Nuggets, the team or teams that we would be trading with would want something of value in return. Denver would certainly be willing to trade Petro, Allen, Balkman, Joey Graham, some draft picks, and possibly Anthony Carter. Would the Nuggets be open to trading anything of higher value than the benchwarmers though? Making a trade of any significance could come at a steeper price.

Some names that have been thrown around in terms of acquisitions are Wizards center Brendan Haywood, Clippers center Marcus Camby, and even Raptors forward Chris Bosh. While all of these possibilities would be genuinely intriguing, it seems as though the Nuggets would have to give up something decent in return. Also, it would be difficult to imagine any of those three (especially Bosh) being happy with playing less minutes and coming off the bench after the Birdman. Trading Martin, Nene, or Andersen all seem relatively unlikely in terms of general chemistry issues.

On a similar note, I don’t think the Nuggets would consider trading Young Rich (J.R. Smith). While this topic has been thrown around lately, it does not seem as though a team like the Washington Wizards would want to deal with Young Rich’s insolence and behavior patterns after already having issues with guns in the locker room earlier in the year (Side note: does anyone find it ironic that a team that used to be called the Bullets had an issue like that? I’m just saying.)

Other players around the league that the Nuggets might want to consider could be more realistic acquisitions. Former Nuggets forward Reggie Evans is a rebound machine, and would probably not have a problem being the ninth or tenth guy off the bench. (Truthfully, I don’t think Reggie has much of a problem with anything. I mean the guy once grabbed Chris “Caveman” Kaman’s family jewels in the playoffs for heaven’s sake). Spencer Hawes of the Kings could possibly be pried away from Sacramento as well.

Nuggets management and ownership are undoubtedly mulling over their options before the trade deadline on February 18th. If a trade does not happen, the Nuggets might want to consider finding some minutes for some of their reserves so they we don’t have a deer in the headlights situation come May.