Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Denver Nuggets Receive Disappointing NBA Trade Deadline Grade After Lack of Moves

Originally posted on Athlon Sports
By Nathaniel Holloway | Last updated Feb 8, 2025 12:00 PM ET

The Denver Nuggets elected to stand pat at the NBA trade deadline as they were unable to find a move that they wanted to make.

Denver was one of just four teams to not make a single trade ahead of the trade deadline. The others were the Orlando Magic, Minnesota Timberwolves and Portland Trail Blazers.

Of course, the Nuggets have been one of the hottest teams in the NBA over the past couple of weeks. They have won five consecutive games and currently sit third in the Western Conference standings, just two and a half games behind the Memphis Grizzlies for the second seed.

Nikola Jokić has led the way for Denver this season, and he is a major reason why most expected the Nuggets to make some moves. The Nuggets are in win-now mode with Jokić leading the way, but they lacked the necessary trade assets to pull off some moves.

With the Nuggets electing to not make any moves, Bleacher Report’s Grant Hughes gave their trade deadline a C- grade.

“Would it have been nice if the Nuggets had gotten off Zeke Nnaji's contract, upgraded the backup center spot or found a way to snag a rotation piece? Sure, but nothing of obvious value was available, and it's hard to fault Denver for holding onto its 2031 first rounder, the only high-value draft asset it could move,” Hughes wrote. “We'll go with a slightly below-average mark to reflect mild disappointment while acknowledging that standing pat may have been the best of the Nuggets' underwhelming options.”

Denver was never going to move Jokić, Jamal Murray or Aaron Gordon, and it is likely that they would not have found a better upgrade if they would have elected to trade Michael Porter Jr. That left Denver with limited players that other teams would covet and they also only have one tradeable draft pick, their 2031 first-round pick.

Of course, the Nuggets’ bench has been a major issue this season, but general manager Calvin Booth clearly believes that their roster is god enough to be a championship contender this season.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: