NBA Trades: Risky potential Nuggets - Bulls swap could propel them to the Finals

Would the Denver Nuggets agree to the trade?

The Nuggets are in need of a shakeup to ensure that they are still able to compete in the Western Conference and this trade for LaVine would probably help them quite a bit. LaVine, despite his injury concerns, is still among the best shooters in the NBA.

Over the last six seasons, he has averaged 24.7 points while also shooting 38.8% from 3 on 7.1 attempts per game. That makes him one of the best high-volume 3-point shooters in the NBA over those six seasons, even though that part of his game often gets overlooked when discussing him.

He is also one of the better mid-range shooters in the league. Given that the Nuggets don't have a lot of shooting, LaVine's fit makes sense in that regard. In fact, while the Nuggets rank 4th in the NBA in 3-point percentage, they rank just 28th in 3-point attempts per game through their first 12 games of the season.

Despite that, they are currently ninth in offensive rating, only slightly worse than last season, suggesting that they don't need to rely on outside shooting. Then again, while they don't rely on shooting to boost their top-tier offense, it would certainly help them to add more shooting to their rotation. 

Of course, Porter Jr. is a good shooter in his own right but LaVine is arguably better, or at least a more versatile shooter, including being able to shoot off the dribble. Swapping Porter Jr. and Nnaji for him would increase their ceiling potentially, with it essentially just being a swap for Porter Jr. and LaVine. That helps to put the trade into perspective for both the Bulls and the Nuggets.

Adding his contract to the already expensive roster is risky to be sure for the Nuggets but LaVine's contract runs the same length as Porter Jr.'s deal and is a year shorter than Nnaji's deal. As a result, they wouldn't be adding much more money than they were already committed to paying. Actually, they would be saving $1.73 million this season, which might not seem like a lot but it would be huge for the Nuggets, who are in between the first and second tax apron.

They would also be able to clear out a roster spot that they can use to sign a player such as Lonnie Walker IV, who has been linked to the Nuggets and who is still available. Doing so would give the Nuggets more flexibility to make another move post deal and if they were to add the likes of LaVine and even Walker IV, then that might end up being better in terms of boosting top-line talent and in terms of depth.

All in all, given the Nuggets' need for more of an offensive punch, the deal makes sense for them and they should strongly consider making the trade if it were to materialize. The same goes for the rebuilding Bulls, who could also benefit from the proposed deal.