Denver Nuggets: 3 reasons to make a trade approaching deadline

2. Add some 3-and-D wings

The team traded away one guy to fill this spot during the offseason in Wilson Chandler, although that deal hasn’t looked so bad with how Chandler has struggled this season. However, the Nuggets could use another guy to fill the role that Lyles and Torrey Craig have filled so far. Craig does well on the defensive end, but neither of them hit 3-pointers at a high enough clip. Craig is at 29.2 percent and Lyles is at 25.7 percent for the year.

The team could look to add one of the Miami Heat‘s shooting guards, Wayne Ellington or Rodney McGruder. Ellington would use up the majority of their open cap space, but he is a better and more proven shooter than either of these two from the Mile High City. Shooting is at a premium in the modern NBA, and it becomes even more important during the playoffs when teams move further from running a true big to space the floor.

Denver doesn’t have an elite defender on the wing to slow down wings like Kevin Durant and LeBron James. It could also look to add a guy like Derrick Jones Jr. from the Heat, who is playing quality defense with good size to go at some of the more athletic wing threats. It’s rare for any player to match up well with some of the league’s elite guys, but getting another body to wear them down doesn’t hurt at all.