Just days after winning their first title, the Denver Nuggets made a trade with the Indiana Pacers to get into the first round of the NBA Draft.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski, the Nuggets and Pacers have made a trade. Denver was looking to get into this draft when they traded for a 2024 first-round pick with the Thunder. They sent this pick to the Pacers, along with the No. 40 pick in this year's draft for the No. 29 and No. 32 picks.
This trade is seen as insurance in case Bruce Brown does leave this off-season. The Nuggets are unable to pay Bruce Brown as much as other teams are offering due to rules in the CBA. Other teams can offer him their full mid-level exception. He has said he wants to stay in Denver but they're preparing a Plan B in case it doesn't work.
Very quickly for the Pacers, the team was looking to move off one of these picks for a future pick. This allows this team to continue to search the market for a team where they are able to get a wing. It would be expected for the Pacers to make more trades going into the draft.
Does this mean that Bruce Brown is as good as gone from the Denver Nuggets?
Although this trade does not signal that Bruce Brown is as good as gone from Denver, it does show that he might not be here for the long term. He could end up staying on a short deal to defend the title but the option is up in the air after that. Additionally, this keeps the Nuggets option open even if Brown doesn't leave this off-season.
With teams trying to avoid the luxury tax due to the new CBA, getting a rotational player for the next four years is key. Spending $12 million annually on Bruce Brown might not make sense when the team has to pay other guys in the next couple of seasons. The Nuggets will have to pay a starter in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope next summer (player option pending).
The year after that, things get crazy expensive. Having a rotational bench that is on a rookie salary would be really good for the team.
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