Denver Nuggets fans, rejoice! After years of stagnation, the Nuggets finally made two big moves during the start of free agency. They traded Michael Porter Jr. and a 2032 first-round pick to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Cam Johnson.
That move was huge in and of itself since it broke up the championship core by trading Porter Jr. and adding a sharpshooter in Johnson to the mix. Johnson is one of the best high-volume shooters in the NBA, and he also makes significantly less than Porter Jr.
While he isn’t quite as good of a defender as Porter Jr. can be, the Nuggets used the savings they received from the trade to open up their full mid-level exception worth $14.1 million. They have already used most of it to bring back Bruce Brown, who was on their 2022 championship team before he signed with the Indiana Pacers.
Bringing him back in addition to adding Johnson gives them a different look and hopefully will lead to an increased ceiling.
The Denver Nuggets made some much-needed improvements
Depending on how much Brown signs for, the Nuggets may not be done making moves. His signing for a one-year contract suggests that he didn’t get a major offer, and they could use the remainder of the mid-level exception or the biannual exception to add another rotation player.
Swapping out Porter Jr. for another rotation player in Johnson, who is arguably more consistent, and adding a reliable contributor in Brown plus potentially another rotation player would be a huge gift for the Nuggets. Particularly after they looked to be on the downside of their peak as a championship contender.
Retooling their roster around Nikola Jokic is smart considering that he is 30 years old. They also have more flexibility than they did before, which should help them beyond next season.
All told, the Nuggets finally made a big move to shake up their roster. Trading Porter Jr. and getting back Johnson and signing Brown is a smart trade-off to make them both better and deeper than they were last season.
