The Denver Nuggets are fresh off of winning their first NBA championship, but building out their roster this summer will require them to be able to add some players on smaller deals.
The best way to do that is through the draft, but Denver came into the week holding only second round picks — including the 37th overall pick they acquired in a trade during the Finals with the Oklahoma City Thunder. On Wednesday, the Nuggets made their second trade involving draft picks of June, sending the 40th overall pick and the least favorable of their first round picks next year to the Pacers for the 29th and 32nd overall selections in tomorrow night’s draft.
The Denver Nuggets are trading 2024 first-round pick and 2023 40th pick to the Indiana Pacers for No. 29 and 32 on Thursday, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 21, 2023
https://twitter.com/BobbyMarks42/status/1671571768664784908
With Bruce Brown declining his player option and hitting free agency, and a number of veterans like Jeff Green, Reggie Jackson, DeAndre Jordan, and Thomas Bryant all set to be free agents, Denver wanted to get into the first round to land a player on a rookie scale deal that they can lock in for the next four years. After hitting big on Christian Braun last year, as he was part of their playoff rotation on the way to the title, Denver will hope to once again bring in a player in the late first round capable of contributing immediately. They’ll also get another swing at an early second-round pick at No. 32 overall to try and land a quality prospect — or could try and continue maneuvering into the late first with the 32nd and 37th picks.
