The Denver Nuggets Have Expressed Interest In Washington Wizards' Jordan Poole, Jonas Valanciunas
According to The Athletic, the Nuggets could look into Poole and Valanciunas
As of late, the Denver Nuggets have been getting involved in trade rumors. The most recent one involves the struggling Washington Wizards.
On Tuesday, The Athletic’s Tony Jones and Sam Amick reported that the Nuggets are beginning to look into numerous players around the league, including Jordan Poole and Jonas Valanciunas.
"The Nuggets have either expressed interest in, or have had preliminary trade discussions on the following players: Chicago’s Zach LaVine, Washington’s Jordan Poole, Utah’s Jordan Clarkson, Atlanta’s De’Andre Hunter, Brooklyn’s Cam Johnson and Washington’s Jonas Valanciunas,” Jones and Amick wrote.
The Nuggets’ current success might be short-lived
Even though the Nuggets are fifth in the Western Conference with a 14-10 record, they might face problems deeper into the season. Center Nikola Jokic is leading the team in almost every statistical category. For the season, he is averaging 30.9 points, 13.3 rebounds, 9.9 assists, and 1.8 steals, all team highs.
Since Jokic is 29 and in his 10th season, he may have limited sustainability. If this does grow into a complication, he will need other teammates to step up.
For years, point guard Jamal Murray was the guy who Jokic could depend on. However, this season hasn’t reflected that. This season, Murray is averaging just 18.4 points on 42.5% shooting. Although Michael Porter is playing exceptionally well, the Nuggets will still need more assistance.
Acquiring Poole and Valanciunas would be a decent move
Despite the fact that the Wizards are 3-21, Poole is having a career season. He is averaging 20.3 points, a career-high 5.1 assists, and a career-high 1.7 steals. Because Murray is struggling to find his shot, the Nuggets could use another guard in Poole, who is shooting a career-high 39.2% from the 3-point line.
The Nuggets will also benefit from adding Valanciunas to their roster as they don’t have a lot of reliable centers. As their rosters currently stand, DeAndre Jordan, Zeke Nnaji, and Dario Saric are the backup centers. This season, they average only a combined 7.2 points and 7.6 rebounds. Valanciunas, who is logging averages of 12.0 points and 7.6 rebounds, will be a major upgrade to their bench.
If the Nuggets are interested in getting involved with a trade, they might act on it sooner rather than later.
Cory Nelson is a contributor to The Lead. He attended Northern Virginia Community College. He can be reached at corymckenzienelson@hotmail.com or follow him on Twitter @CKenzyNelson, Instagram @ckenzynelson, and Threads @ckenzynelson