May 18, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) and Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon (32) celebrate after a play against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first quarter during game seven of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Celtics Legend Urges Nuggets to Make Wild Trade for 6x NBA All-Star

Originally posted on Denver Nuggets on SI | By Grant Mona | Last updated May 27, 2025 2:55 PM ET

The Denver Nuggets ended the year with a surprise run in the playoffs, beating the Los Angeles Clippers and pushing the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder to the brink of elimination in a Game 7 in the Conference Semifinals.

With new head coach David Adelman now at the helm and numerous decisions to be made regarding the roster surrounding superstar Nikola Jokić and his running mate Jamal Murray, the Nuggets could be poised to make a major roster move.

Outside of the trio of Jokic, Murray, and forward Aaron Gordon, Denver did not get much production to sustain a longer playoff run. Russell Westbrook provided great minutes against the Clippers, but was not the same player against the Thunder.

Nuggets' top 6 guys for the entire 2025 playoffs:

Jokić 26, 13, and 8, on 49/38/77 shooting
Murray 22, 5, and 5, on 44/35/87
Gordon 16, 8, and 3, on 48/38/86
Braun 13, 6, and 2, on 45/30/71
Westbrook 12, 4, and 3, on 39/32/70
Porter 9, 5, and 1, on 39/34/71

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— Miroslav Ćuk (@MiroslavCuk) May 20, 2025

Outside of Westbrook, the only bench player who provided quality minutes was Julian Strawther in Game 6 of the Conference Semifinals.

Michael Porter Jr. averaged less than 10 points per game in the playoffs and dealt with a shoulder sprain that hampered the use of his left arm significantly.

Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Former NBA champion and Celtics legend Paul Pierce proposed a bold trade for the Nuggets to consider as they seek to enhance their depth and scoring.

"I feel like if they have had like a Demar DeRozan with that team right now...with Joker [Nikola Jokic]...because he ain't gotta be the best player or the second best player every night," Pierce said on his podcast "Ticket & The Truth."

"He's going to give you more than what Michael Porter Jr. gave...if he come out there and give you a solid 15 and on a good night give you a dub, dub-5, which he can do, that's what I would target," he continued to say.

A swap of the two players would not be easy, however, as the Nuggets would have to send out enough salary to match DeRozan's contract. The Nuggets could be looking to get under the first apron, and trading Porter Jr. could help facilitate that direction.

On the Kings' side, adding a younger asset with higher potential in Porter Jr. would benefit Sacramento, but they would be wary of absorbing that larger contract in doing so.

In any case, the Nuggets would be adding a 22.2-point-per-game scorer who shot 47.7% from the field in the 2024-2025 season, while also aging from a roster standpoint.

This article first appeared on Denver Nuggets on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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