NBA Trade Rumors: Nikola Jokic's Nuggets predicted to land Zion Williamson's $112,000,000 teammate
The Denver Nuggets are the favorites to land Zion Williamson's teammate, Trey Murphy III. According to Bovada, the Nuggets have the best odds at +500 to acquire Murphy from the Pelicans. The odds were released days after the Pelicans were reported to be open to trading their main players and starting with a clean slate.
Murphy was among the players considered to be unmovable at one point, but the Pelicans are reportedly gauging his value, too. The former No. 17 pick is expected to command some attention in the market.
Only 24, Murphy has made his mark as one of the better scoring role players in the wing spot. In 2024-25, he averaged a career-high 21.2 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.5 assists, shooting 45.4%, including 36.1% from 3, showing tremendous upside in his fourth NBA season.
The Nuggets have only one pick to trade, but they have contracts to match salaries and young prospects. Murphy will make $25,000,000 next year in the first season of his four-year $112,000,000 rookie extension.
One of the main assets involved could be Michael Porter Jr., who will earn $38,333,050 in 2025-26. However, that might not be enough. Unless the Pelicans value Porter highly, the Nuggets will likely have to part ways with their only pick and potentially Christian Braun, who took a massive leap last season.
The Nuggets have other needs to address, including their bench and point-of-attack defense, so giving up so much for one player might not be the pathway to improving their roster.
Paul Pierce gives Nuggets a trade idea surrounding Michael Porter Jr. and DeMar DeRozan
Paul Pierce believes the Nuggets should trade for DeMar DeRozan. The Celtics legend thinks DeRozan's scoring could be of great value for Denver.
"I feel like if they had a DeMar DeRozan with that team right now, with Joker, he don’t need to be the best player or the second-best player every night," Pierce said. "He is going to give you more than what Michael Porter Jr. gave you."
While Pierce may be right about DeRozan offering more than Porter offensively, it won't be all that's required for Denver to improve. DeRozan significantly kills the floor spacing for the Nuggets at a point where they need more 3-point shooting on the team.
The Nuggets also need to improve defensively on the perimeter, and DeRozan's offensive ceiling won't be enough to compensate for his shortcomings on the other end. Moreover, Porter's value might have taken a hit, but he remains the best trade asset for the Nuggets this offseason, and Denver can get a much better return than DeRozan.