Despite having one of the greatest players in NBA history, Nikola Jokic, the Denver Nuggets have made several questionable decisions when building around him. One such bad decision is them giving forward Zeke Nnaji a four-year, $32 million deal even though he is out of the team's rotation now.
He has only appeared in 14 games of the season, averaging 1.4 points in 5.1 minutes per game. With him out of the regular rotation for a second straight season, his making $8 million on average over the next 4 years hurts Denver's ability to make roster moves.
Never mind that he is taking a roster spot that could be used on a veteran who could help them, but he is simply $8 million of dead cap during that span. They could potentially move him, but that will cost them draft assets that they don't have many of.
The Nuggets' absurd gamble to sign Zeke Nnaji to a long-term deal is looking worse by the day.
With Jokic having to carry the Nuggets more this season than in years past, they should be aggressively looking to trade for help. Any such deal will likely include Nnaji and possibly their 2031 first. That future first-round pick might be a useful trade chip for the Nuggets. One potential option would be to trade Nnaji and Michael Porter Jr. to the Chicago Bulls for Zach LaVine.
That would allow the Nuggets to get off of two bad contracts, though it would mean taking back LaVine, who, while a talented offensive player, is on one of the worst contracts in the NBA. Given his contract issues, they may not have to include that first, with the Bulls having problems moving on from LaVine. That potential deal would at least allow the Bulls to break up his contract into more manageable portions.
If another deal were to present itself that made them better and rid themselves of Nnjaj's contract, then they should consider it. Having to give up a precious future trade asset to move on from Nnaji's contract would be a big deal.
Especially with the Nuggets being between the first and second apron, making it harder to make trades. However, if they can find a deal that makes them better and allows them to move on from their worst contract, then they will be in a much better position to compete going forward. With Jokic playing the best basketball of his career, improving the talent around him could result in another deep playoff run.