

Instead, they ended up with Tyler Lydon, a 6'10 stretch forward who failed to carve out a role in the NBA. Kyle Kuzma, Josh Hart, and Derrick White, among others, stand out as solid selections the Nuggets could have made. There were still other solid prospects on the board. The Raptors essentially ruined the Nuggets' plans by taking Anunoby with the 23rd pick, leaving Denver scrambling for Plan B. However, the Nuggets failed to guard against the possibility that another team would swoop in first for the 6'7 forward. With the Nuggets' core starting to take shape around Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, OG Anunoby was a more than reasonable target for them at pick 24. Anunoby was the reason why the Nuggets traded out of the 13th pick, sending the selection that became Donovan Mitchell (whoops) to the Utah Jazz in exchange for Trey Lyles and the 24th overall pick of the 2017 Draft.Īt first, it wasn't that big of a blunder. The Nuggets have been linked to OG Anunoby since 2017 they have long coveted the 3 and D forward out of Indiana ever since he was just a raw prospect entering the league. With that said, this is why Denver should swing a last-minute trade for the Toronto Raptors forward with hours left before the NBA trade deadline.

Thus, it shouldn't come as a surprise that other Western Conference playoff contenders might take a long, hard look at adding OG Anunoby to give themselves a piece who could conceivably defend Durant well in the playoffs.Įven the Nuggets know that they need to reinforce their defense, that, while far from shaky, ranks 13th in the entire league. A trio of KD, Devin Booker, and Chris Paul (along with Deandre Ayton) should put the fear of god into opposing defenses. Sure, Durant is already 34 years old, and he is still recovering from his second major knee injury in as many years. However, the Phoenix Suns clearly had no regard for the unprecedented parity in today's NBA after they swung one of the biggest trades in NBA history for Kevin Durant. But when they're rolling, there's just this aura of invincibility surrounding them this season that has given fans belief that this iteration of the team could go farther into the playoffs than ever before. The Nuggets have already sniffed around the NBA Finals since 2019, making it into the second round twice and even reaching the Conference Finals in 2020. Through 55 games, the Nuggets own the best offense in the NBA and there's no reason to expect a drop-off given how well their pieces and scheme fit together on both ends of the court.Īnd with the championship race as wide open as it is, there was no telling just how far the Nuggets could go in the 2023 playoffs. The question is what that asset would be.For most of the 2022-23 campaign, the Denver Nuggets have, by and large, steamrolled the opposition, thanks in large part to Nikola Jokic's nightly dominance and Jamal Murray's gradual return to his pre-injury form. It was reported that the Knicks had interest in Bey earlier in the trade season, and if the Detroit Pistons aren’t excited about extending Bey this offseason, they could try to move him for Reddish and an additional asset. Of course, he might be involved in the Reddish deal at all, in which case Detroit would likely just send a second round pick or two in exchange for Reddish, making it another buy low and hope deal. The surprising part is the mention of Saddiq Bey. The Pistons have been involved in rumors for Reddish in the past and he does potentially fill a need on the wing. Detroit has shown a penchant for trying to rehabilitate first-round busts, a strategy Troy Weaver has employed several times already in his tenure as the Pistons’ GM.
DENVER NUGGETS NEWS RUMORS AND TRADES FREE
Reddish, who will be a restricted free agent at the end of the season, has not played at all since early December, so it makes sense for both him and the team to move on. However, the Knicks and Detroit Pistons have “more recently” had talks about a potential Reddish deal.īegley has previously reported that the Knicks have expressed interest in Pistons wing Saddiq Bey, so perhaps a match could be found there.” Reportedly, both the Pistons and the Nuggets have been in talks with the Knicks centered around forward Cam Reddish.Īccording to Ian Begley of SNY, Detroit has discussed a trade with the Knicks: “Denver Nuggets have “registered some interest” in trading for Cam Reddish. The Detroit Pistons have been inactive at the trade deadline so far, but that could all change soon, as they’ve been mentioned in trade rumors involving the Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks. Saddiq Bey #41 of the Detroit Pistons in action against Cam Reddish #0 of the New York Knicks (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
