Despite Their Desperation, Denver Nuggets Won’t Be Able to Surround Nikola Jokic With More Impactful Players: Marc Stein

The 2024-2025 NBA season hasn’t panned out as the Denver Nuggets had envisaged. They are sixth in the Western Conference with a 13-10 record. And, it could have been much worse without Nikola Jokic’s MVP form. Denver realize they need more firepower, perhaps another star player, to save the season. But Marc Stein believes they cannot trade for one because of lack of resources.

“Let’s face it, the Nuggets would love to make a trade. I mean, I’ve been hearing that now for over a week. Not just that they’re looking but they’re eager to try to do something to shake things up,” the league insider said on the ALL NBA Podcast.

“But again, the Nuggets just have a very limited supply of tradable assets,” added Stein.

Denver have exceeded the second apron of the salary cap and are only allowed to make one-for-one trades now. They don’t want to trade Christian Braun, Aaron Gordon, Michael Porter Jr., and Jamal Murray, who are the only players on the roster worth a dime.

They’ll either have to part ways with one of their key players, or see the season out with their current roster. However, given how poorly the team has played, weathering the season could spell disaster.

Nuggets are failing to capitalize on Jokic’s career season

Jokic is already the reigning MVP. And this season, he has elevated his production even further to make up for the shortcomings in the team. His 31.4 points, 13.2 rebounds, and 9.8 assists per game are the only reason why Denver is above .500.

Murray, the Robin to Jokic’s Batman, has been of little help to the Serbian center this year. He’s averaging only 17.9 points per game, the lowest since his sophomore season.

The Canadian guard had signed a four-year, $207 million contract extension in the offseason, which kicks in next year. The Nuggets cannot trade him as no team will likely give anything of value in return due to this deal.

Denver has no choice but to hope he finds his form as the season progresses. If Murray doesn’t, Jokic’s historic season will go to waste.