The Denver Nuggets just made their first move of the offseason, and it hints at something much bigger. On day one of NBA draft night, the Nuggets sent the 26th pick to the San Antonio Spurs in exchange for the 35th pick and two future second-round picks.
On the surface, it seemed as though the Nuggets were looking to save salary by trading back. However, by picking up two additional second-round picks, it could help them make a move to clear out larger contracts.
One move could be to trade those picks along with Zeke Naji into a team's cap space. That would save Denver around $8 million over each of the next two seasons.
Those picks could also be used in a larger trade to move Christian Braun, though they would likely have to include a couple of future first-round pick swap to sweeten the pot.
The Denver Nuggets may be gearing up for a big trade
The Nuggets are no doubt hoping to get off of Braun's contract, which will pay him $125 million over the next five seasons. That deal is looking all the worse after he averaged just 11.7 points per game during the playoffs.
Moving on from him and taking back significantly less salary in a trade would free them up to re-sign Peyton Watson. While they could technically bring him back and keep Braun and even Cam Johnson, the Nuggets are known to be penny-pinching.
That means that almost any move they make this offseason will be made with money in mind. However, if they had not made several bad deals in the past, they wouldn't be in the position to slash salaries.
The Nuggets can't afford to take a step back to save money
If last season was any indication, the Nuggets are slowly but surely trailing behind in the Western Conference. They were knocked off in the first round of the NBA playoffs by the Minnesota Timberwolves.
In fact, they clearly look to be one level below both the Timberwolves, the Oklahoma City Thunder, and the San Antonio Spurs. Being the fourth or fifth best team in the West isn't where they want to be, and them looking to move on from a starter to save money will only make them worse.
The best-case scenario is that they are able to make a two-for-one trade. One in which they send Johnson to another team and get back two cheaper rotation players.
If they can also pawn off Nnaji's contract using those second-rounders, then that might be the best possible outcome for the Nuggets.
