NBA Trades: The Nuggets solve major roster flaws in tempting mock deal with Hawks

Fresh off nearly toppling Team USA and winning a bronze medal, Nikola Jokic will soon start his 10th season with the Denver Nuggets. The Nuggets have had a less eventful off-season, which saw them lose a starter in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (KCP), give up three second-round picks to save just $5 million in salary dump, and have their first-round pick tear his ACL.

Losing depth, assets, and a promising young player for a year hurts, though they did at least pickup Russell Westbrook, who might be able to give them a spark off the bench. With a lackluster summer, the Nuggets should potentially consider making a drastic move to try and keep pace in the Western Conference.

That could involve pairing Jokic with one of his Serbian teammates, who currently plays for the Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks find themselves in an usual position where they have the number one overall pick on their roster as well as a multi-time all-star but don't expect to be good enough to make the play-in tournament or the playoffs next season.

Ironically, they also won't be in a position to tank since they won't have their own first-round pick. That may force them to get creative to rebuild their roster and a proposed deal with the Nuggets may help them. Coming up, we'll look at a possible deal between the Nuggets and Hawks and then see if the trade makes sense from each of their perspectives.