Monday, November 14, 2016

What is the Nuggets Next Move?

uip.com
The Denver Nuggets have been in rebuilding mode for the last 3 years now. Considering their roster and their current start to the season the Nuggets will miss the playoffs for a fourth straight season. With the team rebuilding they are not looking to move players immediately. There are players on the roster that can be moved now, but the Nuggets are looking for the right offer. The Nuggets have a lot of players that other playoff teams could be interested in. Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari, Jameer Nelson, Kenneth Faried, and even Darrell Arthur. Now some of these players would be easier to move than others based on contract and talent.

Danilo Gallinari has the biggest contract of the all players, but he also has a player option after this season. He is the most talented player on the team and has the least years on his contract. If a team really needs that position and has the money, adding him could be the right move. A team that would look to add him would be one on the edge of making the playoffs and knows by adding Gallinari will make them more competitive.

Kenneth Faried is another big name on this list. He is also the second highest paid player on the Nuggets. With three years and a little more than $38.5 million left on his contract it would be hard to move Faried. A team that is weak at the power forward position could seriously look into obtaining Faried. What makes Faried hard to move is his contract. Any team that would take a look at Faried would need to committed to him long term. He is under contract until 2019 so any team trading for him has to think this is their only way to upgrade their power forward position. Luckily with the salary cap increase his $13 million a year is not too bad. It would all depend on what team would like his service and if they do not have a lot of options for upgrading talent.

A fairly easy player to move would be Jameer Nelson. Nelson has given the Nuggets solid minutes at back up point guard and would bring veteran presence to any team he plays for. Nelson also has an affordable contract with only two years about $9 million left. At Nelson's age it will come down to if he wants to leave. If he wants to join a playoff team and a playoff team shows interest in him, the Nuggets could move him easily due to the type of contract he is on.

Garrett Ellwood/Getty Images
Darrell Arthur is another guy that the Nuggets could have an easy time moving. With a contract of three years and about $23 million left Arthur has a friendly contract. With his third year being a player option there is a good chance he could opt out considering the cap increase. At 28 years old Arthur still has valuable years left in him. He is by no means a starter, but he is a formidable back up power forward.

And last, but not least, Wilson Chandler. Chandler is probably the hardest player on the roster to move considering his age and contract. At 29 years old Chandler is locked into a three year $36 million contract. Chandler is a good player, but there are plenty of players in the league that can do what he does a cheaper price. It would be hard to imagine any team looking to take back Chandlers contract due to how long it is. With better options throughout the Nuggets roster alone, Chandler is the least likely player to be traded.

There is a chance the Nuggets stand pat this year and just ride out one more season of being in the lottery, but making a trade will increase their odds of having a higher pick and there is a chance they can receive another pick for trading one of the players mentioned here.

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