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Zeke Nnaji Rumors
These are fairly normal disputes for a coach and executive to encounter. What differentiated Denver's situation was a lack of trust that either was operating in good faith. Accusations of ego and malice festered behind the scenes. Booth believed Malone was holding back Pickett and using Nnaji out of position to spite Booth, league sources said. Malone believed Booth made roster moves to force him into playing Booth's unseasoned draft picks.
There was little roster maneuverability this season to pursue further improvements. Booth told local reporters following February's trade deadline that, if Denver was going to make any move, it would have depended on including Nnaji's $8.8 million salary and Dario Šarić's $5.1 million. Sources say that the Nuggets had interest in a number of available players in that price range — Terance Mann standing out among them before Mann landed with Atlanta — but Denver felt the cost was too high. Šarić's player option for next season, furthermore, was definitely viewed by potential trade partners as a deterrent. Booth's decision to award player options to Šarić and Westbrook went down as another demerit on the team's recent roster building in the view of rival cap strategists.
When Malone was reluctant to play Nnaji at power forward, where analytics show he was resoundingly better than as a backup center, more than one staffer wondered whether there was an agenda behind it. "The numbers are way better [with Nnaji] as a 4 than a 5," one team source said. "But if you play him as a 5, he gets exposed. Who does that make look bad?"
Defensive consistency has recently evaded these Nuggets, sitting at 26th in defensive rating since the All-Star break entering Friday night against Utah. But they got necessary stops in the fourth quarter Wednesday against Milwaukee and held the Jazz to 36% from the field Friday, thanks in no small part to the efforts of Nnaji and Watson. “If we can come out with that type of mindset from the jump,” Nnaji told The Denver Post pregame Friday, speaking on wire-to-wire defensive effort, “I think we’re the scariest team to play against.” And Watson is the most important variable in that equation, continuing to cement himself as Denver’s stopper. “I got nothing but confidence in myself, especially come playoff time,” Watson said, postgame. “I’m a gamer. I’m a riser.
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Gerald Bourguet: Nikola Jokic (left ankle inflammation) and Aaron Gordon (left ankle sprain) are questionable for tomorrow’s game against the Suns. Zeke Nnaji (left ankle sprain) is probable, Julian Strawther (left knee sprain) and DaRon Holmes II (right Achilles tendon repair) are out
Vinny Benedetto: Peyton Watson, Zeke Nnaji and Vlatko Cancar are available, Michael Malone says. Nikola Jokic and Aaron Gordon remain questionable.
Sean Cunningham: Nikola Jokic (ankle inflammation), Aaron Gordon (ankle sprain), Vlatko Cancar (left knee) & Zeke Nnaji (ankle sprain) are all questionable for Denver. DaRon Holmes II (Achilles) is out.
Ryan Blackburn: Final Rotations for the Nuggets as they defeat the Pacers 125-116. Nikola Jokic: 18-19-9-4-1, purdy good! Aaron Gordon: 25 points in 23 minutes Michael Porter: 19 and 11 Christian Braun: 17 and 8 Zeke Nnaji: 14 points! Great start to the trip. 38-20. pic.x.com/MKJpRbKC5h
“We definitely liked some guys on the market and thought we had some traction in a couple different situations,” Booth said Thursday night. “Whether other teams just beat us out with their offers or we just didn’t feel like it was the right use of our assets, a combination of those things led us to be where we’re at right now.” The Nuggets looked at a variety of trade options involving reserve big man Zeke Nnaji, whose salary is $8.9 million during the first season of a four-year rookie extension. But Nnaji has been largely out of the rotation despite being Denver’s fifth-highest-paid player. Denver’s trade-eligible draft capital was limited to pick swaps and a 2031 first-rounder, which will remain stashed as an asset for future moves.
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Most of Denver’s top-end contracts either cannot or will not (Jokic) be traded this week. Jamal Murray ($36 million salary) and Aaron Gordon ($22.8 million) signed long-term extensions last offseason, resulting in trade restrictions for six months. That leaves Michael Porter Jr. ($35.9 million) as the team’s most valuable asset excluding Jokic — and Michael Malone has attempted to snuff out any talk of a Porter trade. The next-most expensive player eligible to be traded, then, is Zeke Nnaji ($8.9 million), who has spent most of this season out of the rotation.
The Nuggets have continued to gauge the trade market on Nnaji and also Dario Saric, league sources told HoopsHype. With Denver lacking draft capital to trade, teams have countered by asking for the availability of Denver’s younger rotation players such as Peyton Watson and Julian Strawther. Nuggets starter Christian Braun has also drawn trade interest, but it’s been rebuffed by Denver.
Will he be in Denver at the end of the week? Will he have a new home? Nnaji is trying not to think about it. “I mean, you’ve just gotta block it out,” he told The Denver Post. “Don’t even look at it. Don’t mind it. Just be in the present. Play your game. If you think about other things, and then you’ve gotta go out there and play, that’s going to ruin your performance, you know what I mean? So you’ve just gotta stay focused and stay locked in.”
Denver unlikely to trade for Zach LaVine
Ever since Denver’s interest in Zach LaVine became a talking point, Jamal Murray has provided a firm reminder that he already operates in that role for the Nuggets, averaging 21 points and six assists on 47/41/92% shooting splits since the start of December. Jimmy Butler is the biggest name and certainly the loudest personality on the market this season, but while his saga has reached a stalemate in Miami, LaVine has quietly emerged as the best basketball player up for grabs. Even with the Nuggets rolling, he’s talented and versatile enough as a scorer to warrant consideration, especially if Chicago is agreeable to the idea of taking on Zeke Nnaji’s contract as salary-filler alongside Michael Porter Jr. But that seems unlikely as LaVine becomes an increasingly popular trade target, while back in Denver, Murray’s recent efficiency should render big-game hunting less of a priority.
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