Fresh off their Game 7 blowout loss against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Denver Nuggets have a lot of work to do this summer. With very few assets, they will be hard-pressed to try and improve their roster, but there is one way they can make a big move. According to the Athletic's Sam Amick, the Nuggets may be the most likely landing spot for Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant.
“Unless the Nuggets come calling for Kevin Durant, I’m not seeing exactly where the Kevin Durant landing spot is going to be at this point,” Sam Amick was quoted as saying.
Durant is likely to be traded, but his next team is unclear. That could give the Nuggets the perfect opportunity to trade for an elite offensive player.
A potential deal for Durant would likely include Michael Porter Jr., Zeke Naji, Dario Saric, and a 2031 unprotected first-round pick. That may seem like a middling return for Durant, who, despite being 36 years old, is coming off a season in which he averaged nearly 27 points per game.
Can the Denver Nuggets trade for Kevin Durant?
Denver trading for Durant would be a massive deal considering that the Nuggets haven't had a scorer quite like him before in the Jokic era. Having two stars who can average at least 25 points per game, with Durant being an elite shooter, would do wonders for the Nuggets' offense, which is reliant on Jokic.
Durant would also solve their shooting lows, with them having ranked 21st in three-point attempts and 25th in three-point percentage. Better still, they will be turning two players that aren't in the regular rotation into a star who would increase their ceiling.
Swapping out Porter Jr. in the deal would be a worthy gamble considering the potential improvement Durant could make on the Nuggets. They simply don't have that elite perimeter threat that teams have to put their best defender on.
Jamal Murray can put together those performances and usually ups his game in the playoffs, Game 7 of the West Semis. Him moving to third in the pecking order behind Jokic and Durant. That would give them a far better one-two punch, with Murray being more suited for being a third option.
All in all, the Nuggets need a major shake-up, and Durant would be the perfect trade target. While they don't have a lot to offer, they may still be the most likely landing spot for KD this summer.