Denver Nuggets Had Serious Interest In Trading For Clippers Forward

The Denver Nuggets were interested in trading for Paul George.

The Nuggets valued draft picks and were unwilling to meet the Clippers’ asking price.

George’s two-way skills would have fit well with Denver’s offense and helped them capitalize on their title window.

The Denver Nuggets are getting ambitious this offseason.

The Athletic’s Sam Amick and Anthony Slater reported that they are interested in signing free-agent guard Klay Thompson. However, their article also linked the franchise to another big name.

The Nuggets reportedly had “serious interest” in trading for Paul George, but they were unwilling to meet the Clippers’ potential asking price.

“League sources say the Denver Nuggets, for example, had serious interest recently in the prospect of adding George by way of a possible extend-and-trade with the Clippers (if he chose to go that route). Yet in addition to giving George the max deal he so desires, they also would have had to give up Michael Porter Jr., Zeke Nnaji and a significant amount of draft capital. The Nuggets value their draft picks perhaps as much as any other contender in the league, and so their interest ended there.”

George is one of the most dynamic two-way stars in the league. Last season, he averaged 22.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.5 steals, while shooting 41.3 percent from three-point range. His perimeter game would be a perfect fit alongside Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray. George is not a ball-dominant player, either, so there is little risk of him disrupting Denver’s offensive chemistry.

There is real smoke here. According to Amick and Slater, the Nuggets had a potential asking price for George. That implies a number of things.

First of all, the Clippers are definitely willing to move on from the All-Star wing. The organization has seemingly not budged in contract negotiations, and now, they are willing to trade him to arguably their biggest competitor in the Western Conference.

Secondly, George has the power to opt-out and sign with any team in the NBA. Despite the discourse, he has still not opted in, and the Clippers do not hold the power. Therefore, George could have been interested in Denver as a destination.

On a recent episode of his podcast, George made a telling statement about his free agency. “It’s playing the right style of basketball is what I’m chasing,” he said.

That could certainly apply to the Nuggets.

If that was the case, why did the Nuggets not pull the trigger? Porter Jr. is certainly valuable, but there are long-term concerns. Nnaji does not play a large role. The key variable is the “significant amount of draft capital”. Were the Clippers asking for five first-round picks? I doubt it, but it’s possible.

Nevertheless, if there was a workable deal, the Nuggets should have gone for it. Jokic and Murray are in their prime, and they need to capitalize on their title window now.