NBA Trade Rumors: Nuggets 'Eager' to 'Shake Things Up'; Zeke Nnaji Available
December 8, 2024
The Denver Nuggets are "eager" to "shake things up" this season and despite their limitations, they are ready to offer power forward Zeke Nnaji, according to NBA Insider Marc Stein of The Stein Line.
Nnaji does not offer much, with a modest $8.9 million salary through 2027-2028 that decreases in value each season. However, the Nuggets are likely to "sweeten" deals with draft compensation, per Stein.
Nnaji has played in 14 games this season with the Nuggets, averaging 5.1 minutes, the lowest of his career, and recording 1.2 points per game while shooting 40 percent from the field.
The 23-year-old is the fifth-highest paid player on the Nuggets but has almost completely fallen out of Mike Malone's rotation as he has struggled to live up to his contract.
The 2020 first-round pick out of Arizona has a career average of 4.3 points per game, 2.3 rebounds and a field goal percentage of 50.8 percent.
The Nuggets are off to an 11-10 start to the season, losing their last two games in a row. Even with the addition of veteran presence Russell Wilson, the Nuggets are not looking like the 57-25 team they were last season, when they made it to the Western Conference Semifinals and won the 2023 NBA Championship.
Three-time MVP Nikola Jokic is averaging the most points per game of his career with 31.4 as he tries to lead the Nuggets in the right direction, but it's clear they will need more support for the superstar.
Following Saturday night's 122-113 loss against the 3-18 Washington Wizards, where Jokic posted a career-high 56 points, he made it clear that the team needs to make some changes.
"In my country, where I'm coming from, after this kind of stretch, you're going to get paycheck that is a little bit less than you had hoped. Maybe that's what we need to do. Maybe a little motivation," Jokic told reporters after the game. "I think today and the last couple games were really bad for us. We are really going in the wrong direction. I think it's everybody's fault."
The Nuggets sit in ninth place in the Western Conference, six games behind first place Oklahoma City Thunder.
