The Denver Nuggets should be considered early-offseason winners after their recent moves.
The franchise acquired knock-down former Brooklyn Nets sharpshooter Cam Johnson in a trade involving Michael Porter Jr., reunited with fan favorite role player Bruce Brown, signed perimeter shooting threat Tim Hardaway Jr., and paired Nikola Jokic with low-post weapon Jonas Valanciunas after its season-ending loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Could the Nuggets have another massive trade and/or signing under their sleeve? According to Bleacher Report’s Dan Favale, Denver could move on from their star guard and land the Los Angeles Lakers’ four-time NBA champion forward.
“LeBron James playing next to Nikola Jokic would be hoops nirvana,” Favale wrote Wednesday. “Having that much basketball IQ on the floor at once would simply be unfair. Making the math work here requires giving up Jamal Murray and either one or two smaller contracts.”
“Using Peyton Watson alone gets the deal over the hump relative to Denver’s current spot beneath the first apron. Subbing in DaRon Holmes II gets you almost all the way. The Nuggets have the teensier salaries of Hunter Tyson and Jalen Pickett to futz and fiddle with as well.”
“Going from the 28-year-old Murray to a 40-year-old LeBron is quite the timeline acceleration. But Denver has already shown its all-in on the present by shipping an unprotected 2032 first-round pick to the Brooklyn Nets as part of the Cam Johnson-for-Michael Porter Jr. trade.”
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“And look, if you gave the Nuggets front office truth serum, there’s a chance they may prefer the flexibility of LeBron’s expiring contract and career twilight to the four-year, $207.8 million max deal Murray is about to start.”
James has struggled mightily against the Nuggets as a member of the Lakers. In 2023, Denver stood in the way of a potential NBA Finals berth for Los Angeles.
James averaged 24.5 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 6.5 assists per game against the Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals, shooting. Still, Denver made quick work of the Darvin Ham-coached Lakers, eliminating them in four games.
In 2024, the Lakers and the Nuggets matched up in the first round of the postseason. While Los Angeles had revenge on its mind, Denver had no plans of beginning its offseason in April.
Unsurprisingly, James delivered on the big stage again, averaging 27.8 points, 8.8 assists, and 6.8 rebounds per contest. Unfortunately, two Murray game winners and an erratic showing from D’Angelo Russell contributed to the Lakers’ 4-1 series defeat.
By joining the Nuggets, James would no longer have to face the squad that ended his season on consecutive occasions.
More importantly, the 21-time All-Star could realistically compete for a championship alongside Jokic, considering Denver is only two years removed from an NBA title victory.
Trading Murray after all he’s accomplished would be far from a simple task for the Nuggets.
However, it would likely give the organization the best chance to maximize Jokic’s prime with the Nuggets.
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