The Denver Nuggets' quest to repeat as champions came to a surprise end when they were upset at home in Game 7 of the West semi-finals by the Minnesota Timberwolves. As they wait for the offseason to officially begin, there are big questions surrounding this roster.
Mainly how they can afford to compete with limited space under the second apron as well as having a limited number of draft picks. One of the best role players, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (KCP), also has a player option for $15.4 million and will probably opt out, all but guaranteeing that he will get a big pay raise.
The Nuggets could easily be priced out of retaining him if a team offers a high-dollar short-term deal to lure him away and weaken a title contender that already has depth concerns. That naturally leads us to a potential deal involving the Atlanta Hawks that could help them address their depth and set themselves up better for the long term.
The direction the Hawks will take this summer is anyone's guess, with rumors swirling that they may trade either of their two best players while simultaneously having the number one overall pick in this year's draft. Assuming they go the fire sale route, they may make for an intriguing trade partner with the Nuggets. Next, we'll unpack the hypothetical trade.