The Denver Nuggets could be done dealing after swapping Jusuf Nurkic and a first-round pick for Mason Plumlee and a second-round choice.
Or they could be gearing up to trade Danilo Gallinari.
From ESPN.com’s Marc Stein:
Now that the Jusuf Nurkic trade we’ve been anticipating for weeks has materialized at last, league sources say Danilo Gallinari is a prime Nugget to watch between now and the deadline. The Raptors and Clippers are among the teams said to be monitoring Gallinari’s availability, amidst a growing belief that Denver is prepared to move him, given that the Nuggets anticipate that Gallinari will bypass the final season of his current contract (valued at $16.1 million) and join Millsap on the open market, and they don’t plan to spend big to retain the Italian.
Gallinari’s player option for next season is worth $16.1 million. Unless he lets the Nuggets know he intends to pick it up, rather than decline, this logic tracks.
Granted, Denver still might not make a deal independently of other players. Consolidating assets remains the primary goal even after dealing Nurkic and a first. The Nuggets are more likely package Gallinari along with some combination of Wilson Chandler, Kenneth Faried, Will Barton, Emmanuel Mudiay, Garry Harris and Jamal Murray in exchange for a star than they are to deal him alone.
At the same time, if they’re going to do another one-for-one or non-blockbuster deal, Gallinari is clearly the top candidate. The Nuggets can afford to pay him, and they can even justify it, knowing he’s not yet 30. But they now have to worry about playing Plumlee’s next contract, and it won’t be long before their young core demands raises.
Harris is extension-eligible after this season. Nikola Jokic and Emmanuel Mudiay will be extension-eligible in 2018. By that point, Juan Hernangomez, Malik Beasley and Murray will all be one year away from extension talks as well. So while the Nuggets have some flexibility in the sense they can let everyone hit restricted free agency, buying them an extra year on all fronts, they have to start planning for these raises now.
Using Gallinari as prime bait in a blockbuster deal is no doubt the preference. But if a Jimmy Butler-type player isn’t available, we may see them flip him for cap flexibility and picks.
