Denver Nuggets Make Deadline Trade With Brooklyn Nets

Of course, this is the second trade between the Nuggets and Nets in the past several months, as the two franchises swapped Michael Porter Jr. and Cam Johnson last offseason.

Tyson, a third-year forward and former 37th overall pick, has struggled to find a secure spot in Denver's rotation over the last three seasons. This season, Tyson played just 162 total minutes through 21 appearances, but did start two games when the Nuggets were plagued with injuries.

While Tyson's future in Brooklyn is uncertain, the 6-foot-8 stretch forward could certainly find a good home with a fresh start. On a loaded Nuggets team competing for a championship, it was always going to be challenging for Tyson to break into the rotation. Hopefully, the Clemson product is able to find more opportunities in Brooklyn.

Why the Nuggets did this trade

The Nuggets were floating about $400,000 above the luxury tax line, and to avoid paying the repeater tax, the franchise was forced to cut that money from their payroll. The Nuggets had a few options to do so, like trading away Zeke Nnaji, Jalen Pickett, or Julian Strawther, but Tyson emerged as the best option to avoid hurting their rotation, while saving the necessary money.

The Nuggets also managed to swap second-rounders in this deal, so really, they did not have to attach anything to Tyson to get rid of his contract. Saving money at no risk creates a huge win for the Nuggets here.

This move does not necessarily give the Nuggets flexibility for any other changes, but it does noticeably open a roster spot. The Nuggets already had one open roster spot, which will be filled by two-way forward Spencer Jones, but neither Tamar Bates nor Curtis Jones has proven worthy of a standard contract for the final spot. As Charania mentions, they could turn to the buyout market to snag a player who could compete for a spot in their rotation.

The Nuggets will have more significant financial decisions to make in the offseason, primarily choosing whether or not to bring back restricted free agent Peyton Watson, but taking care of business at the trade deadline was certainly the priority.

Now, the Nuggets' roster is likely set for the rest of the season, and this being their lone move signals that they feel comfortable in their core's ability to win a championship. Of course, any team built around Nikola Jokic is capable of competing, but not making a trade to improve their depth is telling.

The Nuggets' first post-deadline test will come against the Chicago Bulls on Saturday, who have already made some major trades to shake up their roster. While the Nuggets will not necessarily look much different, the weight of the trade deadline will be lifted, and the focus shifts back to winning every game in front of them and ultimately competing for a championship.