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Nuggets' Top 'Dream Trade Target' Unlikely To Land in Denver During NBA Offseason

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Svyato Rovenchuk | Last updated May 28, 2025 3:47 PM ET

The Denver Nuggets will undoubtedly be exhausting all options this offseason in their search of reinforcements behind Nikola Jokic. Despite a limited asset pool, the Nuggets should be active in trade discussions.

The need for extra support was exposed in their second-round series against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Nuggets were able to push the NBA championship favorites to a Game 7, but fell short.

One cannot help but feel that if Denver had just a bit more help for the best player in the world, a trip to the Western Conference Finals would have been on the horizon. Instead, they will be figuring out how achieve that goal during the summer.

Top 'dream trade target' will be nearly impossible to acquire for Denver

With the Nuggets in need of support along the edges, Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report identified whom he thought to be the three dream trade targets for Denver this offseason. The list included Dalton Knecht, Royce O'Neale, and Keon Ellis.

Swartz wrote, "Knecht is the perfect catch-and-shoot option to put on the court next to Jokic, with the Nuggets possibly jumping in as a third team if the [Los Angeles] Lakers attempt to trade for a new starting center."

The reasoning for the Lakers 2024-25 rookie being pegged as the top trade target is understandable. However, the plausibility of the acquisition is not very high.

Knecht represents one of the top assets for Rob Pelinka, who is otherwise deprived of very many himself. If the sharpshooter is dangled in a deal to help add a center to Los Angeles this summer, it is unclear what realistic path the Nuggets have to rerouting him.

The Nuggets do not have many trade assets that would entice a potential rebuilding team to take in favor of a promising youngster like Knecht. Likewise, any buying teams are doubtful to find much substance from the pieces Denver can offer.

Knecht would be a strong addition for the Nuggets. However, the realistic chances of acquiring him are quite slim.

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

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