Nuggets Can Offer Nikola Jokic Support He Needs With New NBA Trade Idea
Nuggets Can Offer Nikola Jokic Support He Needs With New NBA Trade Idea originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Denver Nuggets managed to push the Western Conference Champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder, to seven games in the NBA Playoffs. They ran out of gas in that seventh game.
Advertisement
It is growing more and more obvious just how much Nikola Jokic needs to be supported by a stronger cast of players around him. The Nuggets superstar is one of the best floor and ceiling raisers in the league, however, even Jokic has his limits.
One member of his supporting cast that looks worse by the day is Michael Porter Jr. The Nuggets forward struggled mightily against the Thunder, averaging 7.4 points while shooting 32.2 percent from the field and 25.0 percent from 3-point.
Porter Jr. is set to collect $38.3 million next season, limiting the Nuggets' ability to make improvements with him on the books. This next trade idea would alleviate Denver from those concerns.
May 18, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) talks to Denver Nuggets head coach David Adelman after a play against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second quarter during game seven of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
Andy Bailey of Bleacher Report suggested a deal with a rebuilding team to help offload Porter Jr. The following trade idea involves linking up with the New Orleans Pelicans to reshape the supporting cast in Denver.
Advertisement
Nuggets receive: Trey Murphy III, Kelly Olynyk.
Pelicans receive: Michael Porter Jr., Peyton Watson, a 2031 first-round pick swap, and a 2032 first-round pick.
Giving up the draft capital would be a necessary maneuver to getting another team to take Porter's contract. For the rebuilding Pelicans, that would also create cap space after his deal expires following the 2026-27 season.
The Nuggets get a reliable scorer beside Jokic with Murphy. The Pelicans forward averaged 21.2 points per game in 2024-25, shooting 45.4 percent from the field and 36.1 percent from beyond the arc.
Olynyk is a nice throw-in here as well. The Nuggets would get an opportunity to have a backup they can trust in the frontcourt behind Jokic with the addition.
Advertisement
Related: Nuggets Legend Anticipates Nikola Jokic Blueprint Shaping the Next NBA Generation
Related: Paul Pierce Has Major Trade Suggestion to Nuggets to Benefit Nikola Jokic
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 7, 2025, where it first appeared.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
9 minutes ago
- New York Times
Sky guard Courtney Vandersloot tears ACL, will miss rest of 2025 season
Chicago Sky guard Courtney Vandersloot will miss the remainder of the 2025 WNBA season after suffering a torn ACL in her right knee during Chicago's eventual 27-point loss to the Indiana Fever, the team announced Sunday. Vandersloot sustained the injury at the 5:29 mark of the first quarter of Saturday night's loss to Indiana while driving to the basket. Teammates gathered around her on the court as she lay on the floor in pain, and Vandersloot was eventually carried to the locker room before quickly being ruled out for the remainder of the contest. Advertisement 'It's heartbreaking,' Sky rookie guard Hailey Van Lith said after Chicago's loss. 'She's our engine,' coach Tyler Marsh added. 'She's our captain and our leader out there, so obviously, it's a huge blow.' Angel Reese, the second-year forward from LSU, posted her reaction on X. 🙏🏽 — Angel Reese (@Reese10Angel) June 8, 2025 Vandersloot, 36, was the No. 3 pick of the Sky in 2011 and spent the first 12 years of her career with the franchise, leading Chicago to its first championship in 2021. She played the 2023 and 2024 seasons with the New York Liberty, where she won the 2024 title, before returning to the Sky on a one-year deal this past offseason. 'We're thinking of her,' Liberty coach Sandy Brondello told reporters on Sunday. 'She's playing great. She's the leader out there.' Heading into this season, Vandersloot had already been Chicago's all-time assists leader, and she became the franchise's all-time leading scorer in late May, passing her wife, and fellow former Sky guard, Allie Quigley on the Sky's scoring list. Vandersloot started the first seven games of Chicago's season, averaging 10.6 points and 5.3 assists. Her injury will likely thrust Van Lith, the No. 11 pick in April's draft, into the Sky's starting lineup. Van Lith replaced Vandersloot after the injury occurred and played a career-high 26 minutes in Saturday's loss, which was the first WNBA game at the United Center. The Sky will also likely lean more on guards Ariel Atkins and Rachel Banham as they look to proceed and draw the most out of their developing frontcourt of Kamilla Cardoso and Angel Reese. Their first test without Vandersloot comes Tuesday, against her former team, as the Sky travel to Brooklyn to play the Liberty.
New York Times
10 minutes ago
- New York Times
Daigneault's move to Wallace doesn't pay off
Indiana trailed the entire game in Oklahoma City before Tyrese Haliburton hit the game-winning shot with 0.3 seconds left Getty Images The Indiana Pacers have done it again, pulling off another incredible comeback to stun the Oklahoma City Thunder on the road in Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Finals. The Pacers trailed the entire game, including by 15 points in the fourth quarter, before taking the lead for the first time on Tyrese Haliburton's game-winning jump shot with 0.3 seconds left. It wasn't until the final minutes that Oklahoma City's grip on the game seemed in doubt. The Pacers committed a season-high 25 turnovers but the Thunder's poor shooting performance kept Indiana in the game. Regular-season MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led all players with 38 points, at least twice as many as every other player, on 14-of-30 shooting but missed a 15-footer that set up Haliburton's game-winner. Game 2 is Sunday night in Oklahoma City. GO FURTHER Tyrese Haliburton clutch shot sinks Thunder as Pacers steal NBA Finals Game 1 Connections: Sports Edition Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Mark Daigneault chose to start Cason Wallace over Isaiah Hartenstein in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, and at least for tonight, this switch did not pay dividends. Wallace was a team-worst -13 in 33 minutes, going 3-of-9 from the field and 0-of-3 from 3. For context, the Thunder with the second-lowest +/- was Jalen Williams at -4. It doesn't matter the score or the situation. If there is time on the clock, they'll come back. And if Tyrese Haliburton has the ball in his hands late, he'll deliver. That's become the expectation throughout a magical Pacers playoff run that featured another epic chapter Thursday night. After storming back from a 15-point fourth-quarter deficit in Game 1 of the finals, the Pacers had cut the Thunder's lead to one point in the closing seconds as Haliburton dribbled across half court. Indiana didn't call a timeout, allowing Haliburton to end the game on his own terms, and he rewarded the trust his coaching staff showed in him by calming dribbling to the right wing and rising up for a game-winning midrange jumper with 0.3 seconds left. The shot gave the Pacers their only lead of the game as they staged another improbable comeback in a postseason run that's been defined by them. Haliburton finished with 14 points, 10 rebounds and six assists as he continues to etch his name in Indiana lore. The two-time All-Star has now had a game-winning or game-tying bucket within the last five seconds of a game in each round of the playoffs. His clutch gene has drawn comparisons to franchise legend Reggie Miller. But on Thursday, Haliburton did something Miller couldn't do by leading Indiana to its first NBA finals road win in team history. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander bullied his way into as clean of a look as he could have asked for with the game on the line. When he finally rid himself of pesky Indiana Pacers defender Andrew Nembhard, he let his patented 14-footer fly. It would have put the Thunder ahead by three in the waning seconds, but Gilgeous-Alexander's shot missed. And against a never-say-die Pacers team, it was immediately obvious that Oklahoma City was in trouble. For the second time in these playoffs, the Thunder coughed up a Game 1 victory at home. Tonight's loss felt exactly like their last-second loss against the Denver Nuggets in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals, when Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon won it on a last-second 3-pointer. This time, the Thunder watched their 15-point lead dissipate over the final 9 1/2 minutes before Tyrese Haliburton's 21-foot pull-up won it for Indiana. It was another stunning finish by the Pacers, who turned the ball over 24 times and attempted 16 fewer shots. But for as devastating as Thursday's defeat was for Oklahoma City, the Thunder can draw on their semifinals experience. They rallied to win that series in seven despite losing home-court advantage and falling into a 2-1 series hole. If you are just tuning into the NBA for the Finals, congratulations, you have been properly introduced to the bizarre ride that is the Indiana Pacers. It's rare that one of their games makes any sense. They had 19 turnovers in the first half, which would be bad for an entire game, and still managed to win this game anyway in spectacular fashion. Their star, Tyrese Haliburton, was a ghost in the fourth quarter. Naturally, he hit the game-winner. This is just how it works with the Pacers. Something goes haywire, they chip back in when you don't even notice it, then they slam the door shut at the last second. This is a Cinderella run of epic proportions, flipping the script on a devastating Thunder defense with only five second-half turnovers and some spectacular shotmaking. Andrew Nembhard, the X-factor if you ask anyone in that Pacers locker room, took over point guard duties for the fourth-quarter run, and the Pacers just kept finding ways to get clean looks from deep. He did his best Shai Gilgeous-Alexander impression and it actually worked, particularly with the Pacers controlling the glass late. Indiana was able to come back because it went 6-of-10 from deep in the fourth quarter while the Thunder didn't hit a single shot from beyond the arc. That math advantage has been fueling these wild Pacers comebacks all playoffs long. But this performance wasn't shocking. It was just Pacers. This was Tyrese Haliburton's fourth game-tying or game-winning shot in final 1.3 seconds of fourth quarter or overtime in these playoffs — all with the Pacers trailing in each game. Haliburton has had one in each series: Game 5 vs. Bucks (1.3 seconds left) Game 2 vs. Cavaliers (1.1 seconds) Game 1 vs. Knicks (fourth-quarter buzzer) Game 1 vs. Thunder (0.3 sec) The Pacers completed tonight's comeback while missing eight of their 12 paint attempts in the fourth quarter. Outside the paint? The Pacers MADE eight of their 12 jump shots, while the Thunder missed all six of their shots outside of the paint in the fourth quarter. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander postgame: "It's not rocket science; we lost Game 1. We have to be better." Besides NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luguentz Dort, the Thunder struggled to find consistent offensive production in their Game 1 loss, especially from the rest of their starters: Chet Holmgren scored six points on 2-of-9 shooting Jalen Williams scored 17 points on 6-of-19 shooting Cason Wallace scored six points on 3-of-9 shooting (0-of-3 on 3s) One underrated part of pushing the ball in transition and not calling a timeout: Tyrese Haliburton was not forced to work against Luguentz Dort on the final possession. Instead, he got to go toe-to-toe with Cason Wallace. There's no way Tyrese Haliburton can keep doing this right? RIGHT!? The Pacers star guard called game in Oklahoma City tonight as he continues to put the doubters on notice, finishing with 14 points on 6-of-13 shooting to go with 10 boards and six dimes. His third game-winner of the postseason gave Indiana a 1-0 lead in the NBA Finals. Getty Images The Pacers are on their god tier run of making comebacks and game winners this postseason. But the Thunder have been here as well. Game 1 against the Denver Nuggets, they led by 14 in third quarter and by 13 with 6:39 left. Aaron Gordon hit a game-winning 3 with 3.6 seconds left and the Thunder out of timeouts. The Thunder came back to demolish the Nuggets in Game 2, but they also were dragged to a Game 7 as well. Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark seemed just as in shock as the rest of us over more heroics from the neighboring Pacers and her friend Tyrese Haliburton. Indiana's 24 turnovers tonight are the most by any team in a NBA Finals win in the league's 3-point era (since 1979-80). Crazy to think that after committing 20 turnovers in the first half, the Pacers committed only five turnovers the rest of the way. They took the halftime break to find their composure and found it in a major way. Getty Images According to the NBA, Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Finals was the Pacers' fifth comeback victory from a deficit of 15 or more points in these playoffs. That's the most by a team in a single postseason since 1998. As Scott Van Pelt just noted, the Pacers led for a grand total of 0.3 seconds in that game. It just so happened to be the 0.3 seconds that mattered most. The Pacers called timeout with 9:42 left in the fourth quarter, down 15. They then outscored Oklahoma City 32-16 to end the game. In the each of the previous three quarters, the Pacers did not reach 32 points. With 38 points, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander became the first reigning MVP to score at least 30 points in their NBA Finals debut since Allen Iverson in 2001 against the Los Angeles Lakers. The result was very different for AI. Tonight was only the fourth time in NBA postseason history where a team had at least 18 more turnovers than their opponent ... first time since 2008 ... first time in finals since 1970 And the first time a team WON THE GAME with at least 18 more turnovers than their opponent.
Yahoo
10 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Alex Caruso said LeBron James and Rajon Rondo taught him how to see plays before they happen: "It's like chess… they're two moves ahead"
On his appearance on "The Old Man and The Three" podcast in 2021, Alex Caruso broke down the core of elite defense. According to him, the best defenders aren't simply reacting; they're predicting. AC explained how reading the game before it unfolds allows a player to be in the right spot without hesitation. He credited that insight to two of the sharpest minds he's shared the court with: LeBron James and Rajon Rondo. Caruso's chess lessons These days, Caruso is a key veteran for the Oklahoma City Thunder, helping guide one of the NBA's youngest teams to a historic regular season record. Advertisement However, his rise to this leadership began much more modestly when he entered the league as an undrafted two-way player with the Los Angeles Lakers. Although the Texas native was "already" 23 when he made his NBA debut in 2017, he was still finding his way at the highest level. For players in that situation, having experienced mentors is invaluable. Luckily, Caruso had not just one but two of the smartest minds in basketball to guide him: James and Rondo. Together, they won an NBA championship in the 2020 bubble. Along the way, Alex wasn't just watching their skills — he was studying their mental approach. James and Rondo didn't simply play; they controlled every moment on the court. Their talent to anticipate plays, guide teammates with clear communication, and stay mentally several steps ahead was like watching a masterful game of chess, the "Bald Mamba" said. Advertisement "They're just so smart, and seeing them operate for a couple of years, and seeing how they would communicate, think, point, and tell people where to go before stuff happened … it's like chess, right? They're two moves ahead," noted the 31-year-old. Related: Walt Frazier admits NBA players were afraid to lift weights back in the day: "Basketball players thought it would affect their shot" Caruso is always one step ahead on defense When raving about Bron and Rajon on the podcast, Alex mentioned that he's tried to pick up on how they read plays before they actually happen. It's safe to say the 6'5" shooting guard has done this with great success in the years that followed, as it's become a signature part of his high-IQ defensive game. Advertisement Caruso's growth as a top defender shows not just in his reputation as a 2023 All-Defensive First Team player but also in the stats. He ranks in the top 10 in deflections this season, clearly showing his ability to break up plays before they fully develop. "If you have to think about what's going on, you're going to be a half-second slow because you have to process it," he said, adding that even being just 0.7 seconds faster can make a real difference — whether it's moving the right way or turning to cover someone. "You gotta know what the other guys wanna do first of all," emphasized the former Chicago Bull. As AC explained, this anticipation also helps him spot opponents' fakes or predict where they might move on the court, sometimes even before they realize it themselves. Advertisement "It's a lot of like recognizing what's happening and what you think's gonna happen," he said. Naturally, shutting down opponents also depends on length, size and quick feet for lateral movement, as the "Bald Mamba" pointed out. But the mental side of it all is just as important, and he shows that better than most players in today's NBA. Related: "It's basically like college but no fun" — Alex Caruso on why there's no asterisk next to the Lakers' 2020 NBA Championship
