<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/denver-nuggets/nuggets-news-cam-johnson-new-beginning-message-trade');   ga('set', 'title', 'Cam Johnson’s ‘new beginning’ message after Nuggets trade');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Cam-Johnsons-new-beginning-message-after-Denver-trade.jpg"><figcaption>Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Cam Johnson’s ‘new beginning’ message after Nuggets trade</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-30T20:58:28-07:00">June 30th, 8:58pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-30T20:58:28-07:00">June 30th, 8:58pm</time><address><a>Richard Pereira</a>Richard Pereira joined ClutchPoints in January 2025 as an Associate Editor. He earned his degree from Florida Atlantic University in 2023 and has been covering the school's athletic programs since 2020, having served as a Sports Editor at the FAU University Press. He was granted the unique opportunity to report on the men's basketball team's journey to the Final Four in Houston for FAU Owls Nest during March Madness, consistently striving to grow as a sports journalist.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Denver Nuggets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Cam Johnson begins a new chapter of his NBA career as he <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nuggets-news-michael-porter-jr-trade-bombshell-cam-johnson-deal">becomes a member of the Denver Nuggets</a>.</p><p>The Nuggets acquired him from the Brooklyn Nets in a major trade on Monday night. They obtained his talents in exchange for Michael Porter Jr. and a 2032 first-round pick.</p><p>This ended Johnson’s time with the Nets after three seasons. He averaged 16.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and a steal per game after 140 appearances. He shot 46.3% from the field, including 38.7% from beyond the arc, and 85.7% from the free-throw line.</p><p>Johnson <a href="https://x.com/MikeAScotto/status/1939870628687094058" rel="noopener">reflected on the news of the trade</a> during interviews with multiple reporters, most notably USA Today’s Michael Scotto and Andscape’s Marc Spears.</p><p>“I’m excited to compete for a championship. It’s a new beginning,” Johnson told Scotto.</p><p>“I’m excited! I get an opportunity to compete with some of the league’s best. What more can I ask for?,” he <a href="https://x.com/MarcJSpears/status/1939846674509365663" rel="noopener">said to Spears</a>.</p><h2><b>What’s next for Cam Johnson, Nuggets</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Cam-Johnsons-new-beginning-message-after-Denver-trade-1.jpg"><figcaption>Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Cam Johnson got to develop his game as one of the top options on a rebuilding Nets squad. Now with the Nuggets, he can <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/grading-nets-michael-porter-jr-cam-johnson-trade-nuggets">feel more comfortable as the third option</a> behind Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray.</p><p>Johnson has playoff experience in his young career. He was on the 2020-21 Phoenix Suns squad that reached the NBA Finals. It was his second year in the league but he proved he can play at the highest stage as he provided valuable shooting and athleticism at his position.</p><p>Going to the Nuggets means his 3-point shooting, one of his best traits, will be a point of focus in the team’s offense. Denver’s offense thrives when Jokic and Murray are finding their teammates on the perimeter who can knock those shots down with ease. With Johnson being a career 39.2% shooter from deep, the team will look forward to helping him transition into their style of play.</p><p>Denver finished with a 50-32 record this past season. They beat the Los Angeles Clippers in seven games during the first round. However, their playoff run came to an end after losing to the Oklahoma City Thunder in seven games in the West Semis.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Cam Johnson’s ‘new beginning’ message after Nuggets trade

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/brooklyn-nets/grading-nets-michael-porter-jr-cam-johnson-trade-nuggets');   ga('set', 'title', 'Grading Nets’ Michael Porter Jr., Cam Johnson trade with Nuggets');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Grading-Nets-Michael-Porter-Jr-Cam-Johnson-trade-with-Nuggets.jpg"></figure><h1>Grading Nets’ Michael Porter Jr., Cam Johnson trade with Nuggets</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-30T19:20:31-07:00">June 30th, 7:20pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-30T19:51:00-07:00">June 30th, 7:51pm</time><address><a>Erik Slater</a>Erik Slater is the credentialed Brooklyn Nets beat reporter for ClutchPoints. He's a graduate of Lehigh University and the Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University, as well as a Lehigh Football and Syracuse Football alum.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Brooklyn Nets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Monday marked the opening of NBA free agency, but a blockbuster trade between the Brooklyn Nets and Denver Nuggets will be among the day’s top headlines. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/denver-nuggets/nuggets-news-michael-porter-jr-trade-bombshell-cam-johnson-deal">The Nets traded Cam Johnson to the Nuggets for Michael Porter Jr.</a> and an unprotected 2032 first-round pick, first reported by ESPN and confirmed by ClutchPoints.</p><p>Brooklyn’s 2025 draft featuring an NBA-record five first-round picks indicated a commitment to a full rebuild. Meanwhile, Denver is attempting to craft another championship-caliber roster around three-time MVP Nikola Jokic.</p><p>With that, we assess the deal for both sides and offer grades.</p><h2>Grading Nets’ trade acquisition of Michael Porter Jr., 2032 first-round pick</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/USATSI_24640854.jpg"><figcaption>Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Nets entered the offseason in a favorable position, as the NBA’s only team with significant cap space. General manager Sean Marks used that space on Tuesday to absorb Terance Mann’s contract in return for the No. 22 pick in the draft. He executed another salary dump in the Nuggets deal, absorbing the remaining two years and $79 million on Michael Porter Jr.’s contract and acquiring a premium asset in Denver’s unprotected 2032 pick.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/brooklyn-nets/nets-cam-johnson-gets-real-trade-rumors-after-remaining-brooklyn-through-deadline">Cam Johnson had been at the center of trade speculation</a> over the last year after Brooklyn entered a rebuild. Yet, league sources told ClutchPoints that the rebuilding squad was not actively shopping him at the deadline and held a steep asking price of two first-round picks. No team met that price, and the Nets were content to hold onto the sharpshooting forward.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nets-news-sean-marks-reveals-where-brooklyn-stands-trading-cam-johnson">Johnson had a career-best season</a> that caught the eye of the Nuggets’ front office. While the 28-year-old had emerged as the most respected voice in the Nets’ locker room, he did not fit a rebuilding timeline. It’s difficult to envision Brooklyn landing a much better draft asset for Johnson than Denver’s unprotected 2032 first-round pick, which will be a nice negotiating chip in trade talks for a star down the line.</p><p>Porter Jr.’s contract won’t hamstring the Nets long-term. The 27-year-old, previously coached by Jordi Fernandez in Denver, is a career 40 percent three-point shooter with some shot-creation ability. Should he perform well with Brooklyn, he is young enough to be a part of the team’s next iteration. Regardless of his production, the Nets could use his $40.8 million expiring salary as a filler in a trade for a star in 2026-27 if they want to expedite their timeline.</p><p><b>Nets’ Grade: A</b></p><h2>Grading Nuggets’ trade acquisition of Cam Johnson</h2><p>Despite a depleted rotation, the Nuggets were the closest team to knocking off the Oklahoma City Thunder in this year’s playoffs. Johnson should offer a seamless fit alongside Jokic, Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon.</p><p>The newest Nugget is coming off a career-best season during which he averaged 18.8 points and 3.4 assists on 48/39/89 shooting splits. Johnson and Desmond Bane were the NBA’s only players to average at least 18 points on such efficiency. Like Porter Jr., the 29-year-old will provide elite floor spacing alongside Jokic. However, he will present an upgrade in terms of secondary ball-handling and decision-making.</p><p>Swapping Porter Jr.’s <a href="https://www.spotrac.com/nba/player/_/id/26980/michael-porter-jr" rel="noopener">$38.3 million salary</a> for Johnson’s $21 million contract also allowed the Nuggets to dip below the second apron and gain access to the $14.1 million non-taxpayer mid-level exception. That flexibility allowed them to agree to a one-year deal with Bruce Brown, who won a championship with the team in 2023.</p><p>Parting with an unprotected 2032 first-round pick does present some risk for the Nuggets, who are competing in a loaded Western Conference. However, it’s a worthwhile price to maximize the team’s chances of winning another title during Jokic’s prime.</p><p><b>Nuggets’ Grade: A</b></p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Grading Nets’ Michael Porter Jr., Cam Johnson trade with Nuggets

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/denver-nuggets/nuggets-news-michael-porter-jr-trade-has-fans-losing-their-minds');   ga('set', 'title', 'Michael Porter Jr. trade has fans losing their minds');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Michael-Porter-Jr.jpg"><figcaption>Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Michael Porter Jr. trade has fans losing their minds</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-30T17:35:43-07:00">June 30th, 5:35pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-30T17:37:36-07:00">June 30th, 5:37pm</time><address><a>Lorenzo J Reyna</a>Lorenzo J Reyna is an Associate Editor covering the NFL and NCAA Football for ClutchPoints. He's equipped with past experience for both realms through his recent stops at Pro Football Network and Heavy while also writing for 247Sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Denver Nuggets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Denver Nuggets rattled the NBA world Monday. They delivered one massive roster shakeup to start NBA free agency. All by moving Michael Porter Jr.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/denver-nuggets/nuggets-news-michael-porter-jr-trade-bombshell-cam-johnson-deal">Porter Jr. landed with the Brooklyn Nets in the bombshell Cam Johnson deal</a>. But Denver moves away from an integral piece who teamed with Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and the 2023 Nuggets. The same Nuggets team that captured the franchise’s first NBA Finals crown.</p><p>Porter went on to average 16.2 points per game throughout his Denver career. The Nuggets valued his sharpshooting from behind the arc — nailing 40.6% from three-point land.</p><p>The small forward now leaves the Rocky Mountains after delivering 18.2 PPG. Denver fell to eventual NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals.</p><p>Yet Porter’s departure sparked multiple fan reactions across the internet. With some Nuggets fans losing their minds over the deal.</p><h2><b>Fans react to blockbuster Michael Porter Jr., Nuggets trade </b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/742684347-michael-porter-jr-magic.jpg"><figcaption>Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Porter Jr. goes from the 5,280 foot elevation to a place 59 feet above sea level.</p><p>The move sparked surprise posts, and fans appreciating Porter Jr.’s efforts.</p><p>“For all the slander we’ve thrown at you, you’ll still always be a 2023 NBA Champion. Thank you, Michael Porter Jr.,” one Nuggets fan posted <a href="https://x.com/EpicNormie__/status/1939824219602276376" rel="noopener">on X</a> (formerly Twitter).</p><p>Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints, however, brought up how overpriced Porter’s contract became.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Forgot how bad that Michael Porter Jr. contract was, sheesh <a href="https://t.co/tqmBJfevy2">pic.twitter.com/tqmBJfevy2</a></p><p>— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) <a href="https://twitter.com/TomerAzarly/status/1939825238805815522?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 30, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Other fans still handed Porter their praise. One thanking him for everything he contributed in the mountain region.</p><p>“He’s been the consummate professional in Denver, one of the hardest workers on the team and he’s overcome EVERYTHING on his way to being an NBA Champion,”<a href="https://x.com/SwipaCam/status/1939827232777650386" rel="noopener"> the fan shared</a>.</p><p>Former Kansas City sports anchor Jared Koller acknowledged that Porter’s contract placed Denver in a bind. But that doesn’t prevent the thank you posts to keep pouring in.</p><p>“Nuggets fans were ready for Michael Porter Jr.’s contract to leave town, but Denver doesn’t win a championship without MPJ. Hope that’s not forgotten,” Koller posted.</p><p><a href="https://x.com/JaredKollerKC/status/1939825610756665490">Denver managed to pull one swift move after the trade</a>. Bruce Brown is returning on a one-year deal. Brown played with Porter, Jokic, Murray and that ’23 title winning team.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Michael Porter Jr. trade has fans losing their minds

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/denver-nuggets/nuggets-news-denver-signs-former-champion-michael-porter-jr-trade');   ga('set', 'title', 'Nuggets immediately sign former champion after Michael Porter Jr. trade');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Denver-immediately-signs-former-champion-after-Michael-Porter-Jr.-trade.jpg"><figcaption>Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Nuggets immediately sign former champion after Michael Porter Jr. trade</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-30T16:33:24-07:00">June 30th, 4:33pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-30T17:27:29-07:00">June 30th, 5:27pm</time><address><a>Richard Pereira</a>Richard Pereira joined ClutchPoints in January 2025 as an Associate Editor. He earned his degree from Florida Atlantic University in 2023 and has been covering the school's athletic programs since 2020, having served as a Sports Editor at the FAU University Press. He was granted the unique opportunity to report on the men's basketball team's journey to the Final Four in Houston for FAU Owls Nest during March Madness, consistently striving to grow as a sports journalist.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Denver Nuggets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>After moving on from <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nuggets-news-michael-porter-jr-trade-bombshell-cam-johnson-deal">Michael Porter Jr. by trading him to the Brooklyn Nets</a>, the Denver Nuggets reunite with a former NBA champion in Bruce Brown.</p><p>Brown <a href="https://x.com/ShamsCharania/status/1939825411174654306" rel="noopener">returns to the team</a> he won a championship with on a one-year deal, per ESPN’s NBA insider Shams Charania.</p><p>“Free agent Bruce Brown Jr. has agreed to a one-year deal with the Denver Nuggets, sources tell ESPN. The 2023 NBA champion for the Nuggets returns to Denver. CAA’s Ty Sullivan and Steven Heumann finalized the deal tonight with the Nuggets,” Charania said.</p><p>Brown has been a journeyman after leaving the Nuggets’ championship squad in the 2023 offseason. He’s since played for the Indiana Pacers, Toronto Raptors and New Orleans Pelicans for the last two seasons. This past campaign saw him average 8.3 points, four rebounds and two assists per game after 41 appearances for the Raptors and Pelicans.</p><h2><b>What’s next for Nuggets after landing Bruce Brown</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Denver-immediately-signs-former-champion-after-Michael-Porter-Jr.-trade-1.jpg"><figcaption>Jack Dempsey/Pool Photo-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>It’s a great pickup for the Nuggets to make, getting Bruce Brown back on the team.</p><p>Brown only represented Denver for one season, but that one year turned out to be the most memorable in franchise history. He averaged 11.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.1 steals per game after 80 appearances. He shot 48.3% overall, including 35.8% from downtown, and 75.8% from the charity stripe.</p><p>Brown maintained his level of play during the playoffs that year. He produced 12 points, four rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.1 steals per contest after 20 appearances. He had shooting splits of 51.1% from the field, including 31.6% from three.</p><p>Denver benefitted from Brown’s two-way ability. He made many plays on both sides of the ball, being consistent down the stretch as he helped them win many playoff games. That helped them reach the mountaintop after beating the Miami Heat in five games to secure their first-ever NBA title.</p><p>The Nuggets are coming off a 50-win campaign this past season, securing the fourth spot in the Western Conference standings. Despite firing head coach Michael Malone right before the regular season ended, they beat the Los Angeles Clippers in seven games during the first round. However, their playoff run ended after losing in the West Semis in seven games to the eventual champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nuggets immediately sign former champion after Michael Porter Jr. trade

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/denver-nuggets/nuggets-news-michael-porter-jr-trade-bombshell-cam-johnson-deal');   ga('set', 'title', 'Nuggets trade Michael Porter Jr. to Nets in bombshell Cam Johnson deal');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/MPJ.jpg"><figcaption>Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Nuggets trade Michael Porter Jr. to Nets in bombshell Cam Johnson deal</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-30T16:15:04-07:00">June 30th, 4:15pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-30T16:50:20-07:00">June 30th, 4:50pm</time><address><a>Brett Siegel</a>Brett Siegel joined ClutchPoints as a credentialed NBA insider and reporter in May 2023 after previously covering the NBA for Fastbreak on FanNation and NBA Analysis Network, as well as working with Louisville Basketball. From playing to coaching to covering the game as a media member, Brett has been involved with the game of basketball from many different perspectives. Breaking the news of various free agent signings, yearly NBA Draft news and other key stories around the league, Brett is always on the phone, getting the latest news and rumors around the NBA. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @BrettSiegelNBA.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Brooklyn Nets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Denver Nuggets have <a href="https://x.com/ShamsCharania/status/1939822818667241921" rel="noopener">agreed to trade</a> forward Michael Porter Jr. and a 2032 first-round pick to the Brooklyn Nets for forward Cam Johnson, according to Shams Charania of ESPN.</p><p>After hearing his name come up in <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/denver-nuggets/nba-rumors-michael-porter-jr-trade-nuggets-looking-improve">discussions at the trade deadline</a> in February, the Nuggets have now completed a massive roster shift by sending Porter to Brooklyn.</p><p>Porter, 27, was a pivotal part of the Nuggets’ championship run in 2023. In six seasons with Denver, Porter averaged 16.2 points and 6.4 rebounds per game while shooting 40.6 percent from 3-point range.</p><p>The Nuggets had been heavily restrained as an apron team with Porter’s contract, which is why this is a significant shift to acquire Johnson, who is also known to be a catch-and-shoot threat on the wing.</p><p>Various teams have <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/brooklyn-nets/5-cam-johnson-trade-suitors-make-most-sense">attempted to trade for Johnson</a> since last offseason. With the Nets maintaining a high asking price in trade talks for the two-way wing, he ultimately remained in Brooklyn through the trade deadline in February.</p><p>Now, with the Nuggets looking to cut costs and willing to sacrifice future draft picks, the Nets decided it was best to part ways with Johnson this offseason. Brooklyn is currently in the midst of a rebuild and will focus all their attention on their young core, consisting of five rookies selected in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft.</p><p>Porter probably won’t be with the Nets long-term, as the 27-year-old forward doesn’t necessarily fit their rebuilding timeline. The Nets had signaled to teams around the league that they would be willing to take on unwanted, short-term contracts for draft picks, and now executive Sean Marks has added a very valuable future first-round pick from Denver to his arsenal.</p><p>By 2032, Nikola Jokic will be 37 years old and nearing the end of his career. This unprotected first-round pick could wind up being a very valuable lottery selection years from now. While the Nets could hold onto this pick seven years from now, they could also flip it in a future trade when they are ready to emerge as threats in the Eastern Conference and pursue superstar talents.</p><p>Johnson joins the Nuggets as an impactful player on the wing who can directly contribute to Denver’s championship efforts. Last season was Johnson’s best in the league, as he averaged 18.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game while shooting 39.0 percent from 3-point range.</p><p>The 29-year-old forward brings championship experience with him to Denver, as he was a key part of the Phoenix Suns in 2021 when they fell to Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA Finals.</p><p>With new front-office personnel taking over and the need to surround Jokic with championship-caliber talents in a crowded Western Conference, the Nuggets finally parted ways with Michael Porter Jr. on Monday night.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nuggets trade Michael Porter Jr. to Nets in bombshell Cam Johnson deal

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/denver-nuggets/nuggets-trade-proposal-for-lebron-james-after-rich-paul-comments');   ga('set', 'title', 'Nuggets’ trade proposal for LeBron James after Rich Paul comments');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/756594118-nuggets-trade-proposal-for-lebron-james-after-rich-paul-comments.jpg"></figure><h1>Nuggets’ trade proposal for LeBron James after Rich Paul comments</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-30T12:55:58-07:00">June 30th, 12:55pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-30T12:55:58-07:00">June 30th, 12:55pm</time><address><a>Bailey Bassett</a>Bailey Bassett is a sports writer from Denver, Colorado, covering major sports events and athlete backgrounds at ClutchPoints. He has experience covering and writing on high school, collegiate, and professional sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Denver Nuggets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Denver Nuggets had <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2783919-lebron-james-rumors-nuggets-pursuing-meeting-after-nikola-jokics-new-contract" rel="noopener">reported</a> interest in LeBron James when the all-time great was hitting free agency in 2018. The Los Angeles Lakers won the pursuit for the former first overall pick, but Denver’s interest in James proved that they were ready to take the next step when it came to winning.</p><p>Denver certainly has done a lot of winning since, even without James. They won the championship in 2023, and the kid from Akron has struggled to collect victories over the Nuggets ever since.</p><p>The Nuggets swept the Lakers en route to winning the NBA Finals for the first time, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/denver-nuggets/nuggets-news-jamal-murray-continues-haunt-lakers-another-game-winner">Jamal Murray hit two game-winners</a> in Denver’s 2024 postseason triumph over Los Angeles, and the Nikola Jokic-led team has beaten James’ squad in 15 <a href="https://www.landofbasketball.com/head_to_head_gl/lakers_vs_nuggets_game_log_season.htm" rel="noopener">of their last</a> 20 matchups in total.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/ranking-best-lebron-james-trade-destinations-rich-paul-bombshell-lakers-quotes">James may now be open to a trade away from the Lakers</a>, and joining the team that he has struggled to beat recently could make some sense. So what would a James-to-Denver trade look like?</p><h2><b>Nuggets’ possible trade package for LeBron James</b></h2><p><b>Nuggets receive:</b> LeBron James, Bronny James</p><p><b>Lakers receive:</b> Michael Porter Jr., Zeke Nnaji, Dario Saric, Julian Strawther, 2031 first-round pick (top 20 protected)</p><p>Michael Porter Jr. struggled in the postseason for the second straight season. His recent playoff shortcomings have led to some Nuggets fans pushing for a trade. While the 6-foot-10 sharpshooter’s shooting struggles can be pinned on injuries and he plays a vital role as a catch-and-shoot threat for Jokic to kick the ball out to, he is Denver’s best trade chip.</p><p>Porter is a career 40.6% shooter from deep. He is far from elite defensively, but his feel for the game has improved over the years. He was one of the key pieces to delivering the Nuggets their first title.</p><p>The Nuggets don’t have much to offer in the trade market, but Porter would better fit a Doncic timeline than James would, even though the latter is the far superior player. Like Jokic, Doncic thrives when playmaking for his teammates, so it would make sense to give him a long-term shooting weapon.</p><p>The Nuggets, meanwhile, would get the piece that could get them back into the NBA Finals. James has made the championship series 10 times, winning the whole thing in four of those cracks at it. His basketball IQ is only matched by Jokic, so together, they’d be playing chest in comparison to their opponents playing checkers.</p><p>They are also both two of the best triple-double-getters in league history. Together, they’d stuff the stat sheet on a nightly basis. James is far from a long-term play for the Nuggets, but if he could help them get one more championship during Jokic’s prime, then trading for him would be worth it.</p><h2><b>Will the Lakers trade LeBron James?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Steve-Nash-Nikola-Jokic-mount-rushmore.jpg"><figcaption>Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>Rumors of James’ trade interest circulated after he <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-lebron-james-makes-52-6-million-contract-decision">picked up his $52.6 million player option</a>. While his contract prevents him from hitting free agency this offseason, James’ agent, Rich Paul, <a href="https://x.com/AdamSchefter/status/1939343388660146673" rel="noopener">alluded to</a> potential trade interest for his client.</p><p>Paul said, “He knows the Lakers are building for the future. He [James] understands that, but he values a realistic chance of winning it all. We are very appreciative of the partnership that we’ve had for eight years with Jeanie [Buss] and Rob [Pelinka] and consider the Lakers as a critical part of his career.”</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-lebron-james-overheard-revealing-wife-wants-retire">James wants another ring before his inevitable retirement,</a> and the Lakers might not have the roster that can get him there. The team <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-trade-grade-luka-doncic-deal">traded for Luka Doncic</a> last year, and although James and Doncic form an incredible duo, the Lakers still have glaring holes on their roster. A lack of center depth is the biggest weakness.</p><p>That wouldn’t be a problem in Denver, considering the Nuggets employ the best center in the NBA. Still, a return to Los Angeles seems likely for James. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/25-greatest-small-forwards-in-nba-history-ranked">best small forward ever</a> is likely putting pressure on his team to make moves more so than he is looking to be traded. After all, the Lakers already made one of the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/the-most-shocking-nba-trades-ever-ranked">biggest trades ever</a> when they acquired Doncic.</p><p>The Western Conference is stacked, and Los Angeles needs to be aggressive in the trade market and in free agency, but trading James seems unlikely. The Chosen One will likely finish out his career with the Lakers.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nuggets’ trade proposal for LeBron James after Rich Paul comments

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/nba-stories/ranking-best-lebron-james-trade-destinations-rich-paul-bombshell-lakers-quotes');   ga('set', 'title', 'Ranking 5 best LeBron James trade destinations after Rich Paul’s bombshell Lakers quotes');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/756246540-ranking-5-best-lebron-james-trade-destinations-after-rich-paul-s-eye-opening-lakers-quotes.jpg"></figure><h1>Ranking 5 best LeBron James trade destinations after Rich Paul’s bombshell Lakers quotes</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-29T11:21:27-07:00">June 29th, 11:21am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-29T11:21:47-07:00">June 29th, 11:21am</time><address><a>Bailey Bassett</a>Bailey Bassett is a sports writer from Denver, Colorado, covering major sports events and athlete backgrounds at ClutchPoints. He has experience covering and writing on high school, collegiate, and professional sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Cleveland Cavaliers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>LeBron James has spent each of the last seven seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers. When he joined the team, it was widely assumed that the<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/updating-ranking-the-50-greatest-players-nba"> all-time great</a> wouldn’t have many great years left. Instead, the<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/25-greatest-small-forwards-in-nba-history-ranked"> best small forward ever</a> has defied Father Time and is slated to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/nba-longest-careers-history">play in a record 23rd NBA</a> season. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-lebron-james-makes-52-6-million-contract-decision">James just picked up the $52.6 million player option</a> on his contract for next season, but <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-fans-thinking-lebron-james-trade-rich-paul-comments">Rich Paul had some interesting comments</a> when James did so.</p><p>Paul, who is James’ agent, <a href="https://x.com/ShamsCharania/status/1939342381058281819" rel="noopener">said</a>, “We understand the difficulty in winning now while preparing for the future. We do want to evaluate what’s best for LeBron at this stage in his life and career.” While that wasn’t an outright trade request from the mouth of James’ agent, it did open up the door for a trade, which hadn’t previously been thought of as a possibility by NBA fandom. Paul <a href="https://x.com/AdamSchefter/status/1939343388660146673" rel="noopener">continued,</a> “He knows the Lakers are building for the future. He understands that, but he values a realistic chance of winning it all. We are very appreciative of the partnership that we’ve had for eight years with Jeanie [Buss] and Rob [Pelinka] and consider the Lakers as a critical part of his career.”</p><p>The<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-trade-grade-luka-doncic-deal"> Lakers traded for Luka Doncic</a> ahead of last season’s trade deadline. While James is seemingly happy with his pairing alongside Doncic, who was acquired in one of the<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/the-most-shocking-nba-trades-ever-ranked"> biggest fleeces ever</a>, the move put the Lakers on a timeline that is more set up for the future rather than the present. Los Angeles’ roster is solid as of now, but it might not be deep enough to win a championship, which James clearly wants to do again before retiring. Any potential James trade would likely need to include his son, Bronny James, but what destinations actually make sense if the former first overall pick truly does want to be moved? Check out the gallery to find out.</p><h2><b>5. LeBron James to the Denver Nuggets</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/756246534-lebron-james-nuggets.jpg"><figcaption>Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>If James wants to win another championship,it would make sense to join the team that he has struggled against in recent years. The Denver Nuggets won the NBA Finals in 2023, and they swept James’ Lakers along the way. Denver beat the Lakers in a five-game series that included two Jamal Murray game-winners in the first round of the 2024 playoffs as well. All in all, the squad led by Nikola Jokic has won <a href="https://www.landofbasketball.com/head_to_head_gl/lakers_vs_nuggets_game_log_season.htm">15 of the last 20</a> games between the Lakers and the Nuggets.</p><p>Leaving Los Angeles for Denver could be looked at in a similar light to when Kevin Durant left the Oklahoma City Thunder for the Golden State Warriors after the Warriors knocked Durant out of the playoffs. Durant was criticized for that decision to join the enemy, but at the end of the day, it resulted in two championships. James has been unable to beat the Nuggets, but he could potentially win with them.</p><p>The Nuggets were actually <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/source-nuggets-aggressively-pursuing-meeting-free-agent-lebron-james-075605653.html" rel="noopener">interested in</a> pursuing James dating back to 2018. Nobody knew that Jokic would become one of the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/25-greatest-centers-nba-history-ranked">best centers ever</a> at that point. The big man from Serbia and the kid from Akron are two of the smartest NBA players ever, and their playmaking prowess, passing expertise, and unmatched basketball IQ would make for a fun pairing. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/orlando-magic/magic-offseason-trade-proposal-michael-porter-jr-after-postseason-struggles">Michael Porter Jr. has been rumored as a trade candidate</a> for the Nuggets this offseason because he had a rough postseason.</p><p>Porter is an excellent 3-point shooter who better fits a Doncic timeline, and he’d thrive catching passing from Doncic as he has from Jokic, so he could be used as the primary trade chip in a deal for James. James, meanwhile, could be the piece that gets Denver back into the NBA Finals. The Nuggets need depth, and having both Jokic and James on the roster could be enough to incentivize free agents to come to Denver for cheap.</p><h2><b>4. Minnesota Timberwolves add LeBron James</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/756246538-lebron-james-timberwolves.jpg"><figcaption>Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Minnesota Timberwolves were one of the most aggressive teams in<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/minnesota-timberwolves/timberwolves-rumors-brian-windhorst-claims-minnesota-on-verge-kevin-durant-trade"> pursuing a trade for Durant</a>. Ultimately, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/kevin-durant-trade-grades-rockets-suns-after-blockbuster-deal">Phoenix Suns took a deal from the Houston Rockets.</a> A deal for a different veteran legend might not be a bad idea for Minnesota, as James would be a pretty great consolation prize.</p><p>The Timberwolves have lost in the Western Conference Finals in back-to-back seasons. They need a player who can get them over the hump. James has been to the conference finals 12 times, winning 10 of those appearances. He clearly knows what it takes to get to the NBA Finals, which is something the Timberwolves have never done in franchise history.</p><p>The rumored <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/minnesota-timberwolves/kevin-durant-trade-offer-timberwolves-make-suns-seal-deal">package for Durant</a> was something along the lines of Rudy Gobert, Donte DiVincenzo, either Terrence Shannon Jr. or Rob Dillingham, and a draft pick. It might cost less to acquire James, considering he is already 40 years old. If that is the case, it could make sense to pair James and Anthony Edwards. The<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/minnesota-timberwolves/timberwolves-news-naz-reids-massive-contract-bobby-marks-questioning-value"> Timberwolves just extended Naz Reid</a> and drafted Joan Beringer in the first round <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/timberwolves-news-julius-randle-100-million-contract-naz-reid-bonanza">while also bringing back Julius Randle</a>. They seem ready to move off of Gobert, and it is clear that they coveted another star who can take some of the offensive burden off of Edwards’ shoulders. The Lakers, meanwhile, are desperate for a starting center. Therefore, a trade of James to the Timberwolves could make sense.</p><h2><b>3. Golden State Warriors pair LeBron James and Steph Curry</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/756246539-lebron-james-warriors.jpg"><figcaption>Kyle Terada-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>James and Stephen Curry battled it out for years, which led to many fans fantasizing about what a pairing between the two could look like. James is the greatest physical specimen that the league has ever seen, while Curry is the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/ranking-20-best-shooters-in-nba-history-stephen-curry-ray-allen-klay-thompson">best shooter in NBA history</a>. Both are past their primes, but it would be cool to see them end their careers teaming up together rather than trying to beat one another.</p><p>James could be traded alongside his son for Jimmy Butler. Butler fit great with the Warriors after being traded for last season, but a trade for James might be too tempting to pass up, even though Butler is the younger player. James could thrive in the do-it-all wing role that Butler found success in with the Warriors.</p><p>Curry, James, and Draymond Green only have a few good years left, but together, they might have enough left in the tank for one more championship run.</p><h2><b>2. Oklahoma City Thunder trade for LeBron James</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/756246537-lebron-james-thunder.jpg"><figcaption>Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder are in a great position. Clearly, they have the talent on the roster to win now, and they don’t need to make any desperation moves. However, they also have the firepower to trade for whichever superstar they want. The Thunder have so many young assets and future draft picks that they can likely outbid any other team for any player on the trading block, and that includes James.</p><p>James would be a luxury for the Thunder and not a necessity. If he truly wants a trade to a contender, though, he could hold out for whichever team he wants, as he is one of two players with a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-does-lebron-james-have-no-trade-clause">no-trade clause on his contract</a>. James would fit well in Oklahoma City, too, as the team prioritizes excellent passers with a high feel for the game. His 3-point shot has improved over the years, too, further  enhancing what could be a great fit.</p><p>The Thunder seem unlikely to sacrifice their young core or unload tons of future draft capital for a 40-year-old. After all, they’ve built their team the right way. They’ve got picks to spare, though, so they could trade for James if they really wanted to. No team offers the all-time scoring leader a better chance to win one more ring than the Thunder would.</p><h2><b>1. LeBron James’ homecoming with Cleveland Cavaliers</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/756246532-lebron-james-cavaliers.jpg"><figcaption>Kim Klement-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Cleveland Cavaliers would have some serious hoops to jump through to get under the second apron and make a move for James, but a second homecoming makes too much sense for the Ohio native. James went to high school just outside of Cleveland, he was drafted by the Cavaliers, and he delivered the team a promised championship after returning from a stint with the Miami Heat.</p><p>Ending his career where it started would make for a storybook ending to a memorable career for James. The Cavaliers have a championship-caliber roster, too. They showed this with a 15-game winning streak to start the 2024-25 season, which was the second-<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/cleveland-cavaliers/longest-undefeated-streaks-nba-history">best undefeated streak ever</a>. Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen form arguably the best big four in the NBA.</p><p>One or more of the players might have to be moved to make the money work, and a deal might not make the most sense from a roster-building perspective for the Cavaliers. Even so, everybody would like to see this heartwarming story to end James’ career, and both he and the Cavaliers have proven in the past that they are happy reuniting.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Ranking 5 best LeBron James trade destinations after Rich Paul’s bombshell Lakers quotes

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/denver-nuggets/nuggets-rumors-denver-targeting-former-luka-doncic-teammate-coaching-position');   ga('set', 'title', 'Nuggets rumors: Denver targeting former Luka Doncic teammate for coaching position');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/mavs.jpg"><figcaption>Jerome Miron-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Nuggets rumors: Denver targeting former Luka Doncic teammate for coaching position</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-28T20:16:45-07:00">June 28th, 8:16pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-28T20:16:45-07:00">June 28th, 8:16pm</time><address><a>Richard Pereira</a>Richard Pereira joined ClutchPoints in January 2025 as an Associate Editor. He earned his degree from Florida Atlantic University in 2023 and has been covering the school's athletic programs since 2020, having served as a Sports Editor at the FAU University Press. He was granted the unique opportunity to report on the men's basketball team's journey to the Final Four in Houston for FAU Owls Nest during March Madness, consistently striving to grow as a sports journalist.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Denver Nuggets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Denver Nuggets might be pursuing a former teammate of Luka Doncic to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nuggets-news-reunite-with-timberwolves-exec-front-office-overhaul">add to their coaching staff</a>. That player happens to be J.J. Barea.</p><p>Barea was Doncic’s teammate for two seasons from 2018 to 2020, being a veteran mentor to the young star. Doncic started out as a rookie while Barea was playing the second-to-last year of his career.</p><p>NBA insider Marc Stein provided intel on what the Nuggets might be planning to revamp their coaching staff. One of their options is Barea, <a href="https://x.com/TheSteinLine/status/1939143873189568619" rel="noopener">believing they have strong interest</a> in the former guard.</p><p>“The Nuggets, I’m told, have also shown strong interest in ex-Mavericks guard J.J. Barea for a spot on Adelman’s staff,” Stein said.</p><p>“Barea has been HC for multiple teams in his native Puerto Rico’s Baloncesto Superior Nacional.”</p><h2><b>What lies ahead for Nuggets this offseason</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/nuggets.jpg"><figcaption>Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>It would be an interesting move for the Nuggets to pursue Luka Doncic’s former teammate in J.J. Barea to add to their coaching staff. His international coaching experience may prove to be valuable to Denver’s prospects of managing players who come abroad.</p><p>The Nuggets are coming off a 50-32 record throughout the 2024-25 season. They reached the West Semifinals after beating the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round in seven games. However, their season came to an end after falling to the Oklahoma City Thunder in seven games, who went on to win the title.</p><p>This marks the second consecutive exit from the second round of the playoffs for the Nuggets. They haven’t made a deep run since their title run in 2023, which has been difficult after losing key pieces of their championship core.</p><p>Denver has three players to address this summer. Russell Westbrook, DeAndre Jordan and Vlatko Cancar may be free agents. Westbrook has a player option to pick up or decline but improving their depth will be a point of emphasis.</p><p>The Nuggets hope to return to championship contention, especially with Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray still in command. They still have the talent to compete in the playoffs; what matters now is they put together the right roster to return to the mountaintop.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nuggets rumors: Denver targeting former Luka Doncic teammate for coaching position

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/denver-nuggets/nuggets-letting-g-league-rookie-of-the-year-go');   ga('set', 'title', 'Nuggets letting G League Rookie of the Year go');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Nuggets-news-Denver-letting-G-League-Rookie-of-the-Year-go.jpg"><figcaption>Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Nuggets letting G League Rookie of the Year go</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-27T18:38:54-07:00">June 27th, 6:38pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-27T18:38:54-07:00">June 27th, 6:38pm</time><address><a>Richard Pereira</a>Richard Pereira joined ClutchPoints in January 2025 as an Associate Editor. He earned his degree from Florida Atlantic University in 2023 and has been covering the school's athletic programs since 2020, having served as a Sports Editor at the FAU University Press. He was granted the unique opportunity to report on the men's basketball team's journey to the Final Four in Houston for FAU Owls Nest during March Madness, consistently striving to grow as a sports journalist.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Denver Nuggets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Denver <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nuggets-news-reunite-with-timberwolves-exec-front-office-overhaul">Nuggets made a move</a> that will have them part ways from one of their young talents. That player turned out to be G League Rookie of the Year Trey Alexander.</p><p>Denver <a href="https://x.com/VBenedetto/status/1938744268769636467" rel="noopener">made a decision to cut</a> Alexander from their roster, per team reporter Vinny Benedetto. He appeared in 24 games throughout the 2024-25 regular season, averaging 1.3 points, 0.5 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game. He shot 31.7% from the field, including 17.6% from beyond the arc.</p><p>Alexander stood out with his performances with the Nuggets’ G League affiliate, the Grand Rapids Gold. He averaged 25.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 1.7 steals per contest, taking home Rookie of the Year honors as a result.</p><h2><b>What’s next for Nuggets after waiving Trey Alexander</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Nuggets-news-Denver-letting-G-League-Rookie-of-the-Year-go-2.jpg"><figcaption>Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Trey Alexander was on a two-way contract with the Nuggets this past season. This makes their decision to move on from him an intriguing one, considering they had him and two other players on two-way deals.</p><p>The Nuggets find themselves in a tough financial spot going into the offseason. If they bring everyone under contract back, they are on a trajectory to pay nearly 200 million for the 2025-26 season.</p><p>Aside from Alexander and the players with two-way contracts, Denver has two free agents to deal with. Veteran center DeAndre Jordan and forward Vlatko Cancar are the players in question, who may have their roles diminish depending on how the coaching staff approaches their roles.</p><p>Denver is also bracing for a $10 million raise from Jamal Murray. This past season saw him earn over $36 million as he will make about 46.4 million next season. Murray continues to play at a high level as the second option behind Nikola Jokic, but his health can be a concern for the franchise if injuries affect him later down the road.</p><p>The Nuggets are coming off a season where they finished with a 50-32 record. They secured the fourth spot in the Western Conference, despite firing Michael Malone near the end of the season. They beat the Los Angeles Clippers in seven games in the first round but fell to the eventual champions in the Oklahoma City Thunder after seven games.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nuggets letting G League Rookie of the Year go

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/denver-nuggets/nuggets-news-shams-nikola-jokic-trade-speculation-to-bed');   ga('set', 'title', 'Shams puts all Nuggets Nikola Jokic trade speculation to bed');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Jokic-complains.jpg"><figcaption>Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Shams puts all Nuggets Nikola Jokic trade speculation to bed</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-25T10:27:39-07:00">June 25th, 10:27am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-25T10:27:39-07:00">June 25th, 10:27am</time><address><a>Jackson Stone</a>Jackson Stone is a Mercer University senior from Atlanta on track to graduate with a BA in communications. A lifelong sports lover, Jackson is a die-hard fan of all Atlanta teams. He joined ClutchPoints in 2023.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Denver Nuggets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>On Tuesday, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/denver-nuggets/nuggets-news-josh-kroenke-bizarrely-mentions-nikola-jokic-trade-scenario">Denver Nuggets team president Josh Kroenke raised some eyebrows</a> by insinuating that if things get bad enough down the line, the team may <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/denver-nuggets/nuggets-nightmare-scenario-lead-nikola-jokic-trade">consider trading Nikola Jokic</a>. The unprompted comment drew a wide range of criticism from Nuggets fans, who do not want to follow in the footsteps of the Dallas Mavericks in terms of trading their franchise superstar.</p><p>Recently, ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania stopped by the Pat McAfee Show and, thankfully for Denver fans, <a href="https://x.com/PatMcAfeeShow/status/1937915222552883341" rel="noopener">put those rumors to bed.</a></p><p>“I know personally that Josh Kroenke would never consider or want to trade Nikola Jokic.. People around Denver know that and Jokic doesn’t want to be traded,” said Charania.</p><p>It still remains unknown why Kroenke even floated the trade as a possibility given that the media present at the press conference didn’t ask him about the doomsday scenario.</p><h2><b>A crucial summer for the Nuggets</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Nuggets-front-office-not-sure-Nikola-Jokic-sign-contract-extension.jpg"><figcaption>© Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>While the Nuggets may not have any plans to trade their best player in franchise history, it’s not difficult to envision Jokic putting some pressure on the front office over the coming months if the team is unable to put an adequate roster around him.</p><p>Jamal Murray’s play has dipped considerably since his epic run during the 2023 NBA playoffs, and the Nuggets have also seen multiple crucial pieces from that championship core walk out the door in free agency over the last two summers.</p><p>While Christian Braun and Peyton Watson have shown some promising signs of forming a new, younger foundation around Jokic, their improvement wasn’t enough to help propel the Nuggets past the eventual NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder in this year’s playoffs.</p><p>The pressure is now on the Nuggets’ brass to figure out a way to put the right pieces around Jokic so that they don’t waste any more of the best player in the NBA’s prime.</p><p>Whether that’s through free agency or trades in the coming weeks, Jokic and fans alike are probably hoping that the Nuggets look considerably different by the time next season rolls around.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Shams puts all Nuggets Nikola Jokic trade speculation to bed

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/denver-nuggets/nuggets-nightmare-scenario-lead-nikola-jokic-trade');   ga('set', 'title', 'Nuggets’ nightmare scenario that would lead to unthinkable Nikola Jokic trade');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Denver-Nuggets-center-Nikola-Jokic-1.jpg"><figcaption>Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Nuggets’ nightmare scenario that would lead to unthinkable Nikola Jokic trade</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-24T14:32:49-07:00">June 24th, 2:32pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-24T14:32:49-07:00">June 24th, 2:32pm</time><address><a>Zachary Howell</a>Zachary Howell is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints focusing on creating premier MLB content. He is a big fan of the Yankees, Oklahoma City Thunder and the Syracuse Orange. In his free time, he likes to be outside or read.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Denver Nuggets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Denver Nuggets came as close as anyone did to defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder in the playoffs. Nikola Jokic and Co. pushed the NBA champions to a seventh game in their second round series. Unfortunately, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/denver-nuggets/nuggets-news-michael-porter-jr-confesses-harsh-reality-shoulder-injury">injuries to Michael Porter Jr.</a> and Aaron Gordon resulted in an 125-93 blowout. Heading into the offseason, Nuggets president Josh Kroenke is cautious.</p><p>In his end-of-season press conference, Kroenke expressed his concern over how to approach the offseason. According to him, Denver’s <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1937603210614833636" rel="noopener">injury problems need to be considered</a> when deciding whether or not to go into the second apron.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"The wrong person gets injured, and very quickly you're into a scenario that I never want to have to contemplate, and that's trading #15."</p><p>Nuggets President Josh Kroenke on Nikola Jokic and navigating around the second apron 🤯<a href="https://t.co/Xz5Rt3t8gp">pic.twitter.com/Xz5Rt3t8gp</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1937603210614833636?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 24, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“I think that for us as an organization, going into that second apron is not necessarily something that we’re scared of,” Kroenke said. “I think that there are rules around it that we need to be very careful of with our injury history. The wrong person gets injured and very quickly you’re in a scenario that I never want to have to contemplate, and that’s trading #15.”</p><p>Teams that are in the first and second apron are extremely limited when it comes to their financial flexibility. With a team with as many big contracts as Denver has, it is important that they build smartly around them, either through the NBA Draft or via smart trades.</p><p>However, things could go south. Here is a path that could end in Kroenke having to at least consider trading Jokic away.</p><h2>1. One of Denver’s stars gets injured</h2><p>While the Nuggets did not see any of their players tear an ACL in the postseason, they dealt with injuries. Porter Jr. nor <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/denver-nuggets/nuggets-news-aaron-gordon-makes-confession-playing-through-injury-game-7">Gordon were nowhere near 100% entering Game 7</a> against the Thunder. The result was a lackluster effort that left Nuggets fans wondering where they could turn moving forward.</p><p>Both players expect to be fully healthy heading into next season, but the threat of re-injury looms large. If Gordon, Porter Jr., or Jamal Murray go down with a serious injury, even Jokic’s excellence might not be enough to carry the Nuggets deep into the postseason.</p><p>Almost every team in the Western Conference believes that they are ready to seriously contend for a title. As long as Denver has a healthy Jokic on their roster, they are included in that conversation. The two-time MVP had a legitimate argument to win his third this season and is regarded as the best player in the NBA. However, all it takes is one tragic play for that all to change.</p><h2>2. The Nuggets’ young talent does not develop</h2><p>Since they drafted Nikola Jokic with the 41st pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, the Nuggets have struggled to identify top-tier prospects. Selections like Christian Braun and Porter Jr. have been good, but players like Zeke Nnaji and Jalen Pickett have underwhelmed so far. In an NBA world where the draft is more important than ever, Kroenke’s team cannot afford to keep missing.</p><p>For better or worse, Denver does not have to worry about the NBA Draft this season. The Nuggets have no picks unless they decide to trade for one on the night of the draft. However, they will have a rookie play for them next season in DaRon Holmes. The former Dayton Flyer tore his ACL during Summer League and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/denver-nuggets/nuggets-daron-holmes-ii-suffers-devastating-achilles-injury-nba-summer-league-debut">has not played a single minute with Denver</a>.</p><p>The Nuggets have surrounded Jokic and the starting lineup with young players with high potential. However, the team needs that potential to be realized in order to compete without climbing into the second apron.</p><h2>3. Nikola Jokic becomes unhappy</h2><p>Jokic has said throughout his career that he enjoys playing in Denver and does not want to leave the Nuggets. The Serbian center still has three years left on his current deal. However, he has not yet signed his extension, which could be a power move to put some pressure on Kroenke and the front office. Pleasing their star has become more important than ever for modern NBA teams.</p><p>Even if Denver struggles out of the gate and can’t recover, Jokic asking for a trade is unlikely. However, if the All-NBA big man decides that his best chance to win a title lies elsewhere, there is little the Nuggets can do to stop him.</p><p>If he did become available most of, if not all, of the teams in the league would be interested. A Jokic trade would mark the end of an era in Denver, sending them back into another rebuild.</p><p>What Kroenke alluded to is the worst-case scenario for the Nuggets. However, if Denver is not careful with their future, it could easily become their reality.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nuggets’ nightmare scenario that would lead to unthinkable Nikola Jokic trade

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/denver-nuggets/nuggets-news-denver-front-office-not-sure-nikola-jokic-sign-contract-extension');   ga('set', 'title', 'Nuggets front office ‘not sure’ if Nikola Jokic will sign contract extension');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Nuggets-front-office-not-sure-Nikola-Jokic-sign-contract-extension.jpg"><figcaption>© Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Nuggets front office ‘not sure’ if Nikola Jokic will sign contract extension</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-24T13:54:56-07:00">June 24th, 1:54pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-24T13:54:56-07:00">June 24th, 1:54pm</time><address><a>Preston Byers</a>Preston Byers is an experienced writer and journalist who currently serves as an associate editor for ClutchPoints and as a staff writer at The Vindicator and Tribune Chronicle, where he covers sports in the Mahoning Valley. Previously, Preston worked as an associate editor for Dot Esports and a site expert for FanSided's Union and Blue.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Denver Nuggets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/denver-nuggets">The Denver Nuggets</a> are “definitely” offering three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic a lucrative contract extension this offseason, but they’re apparently not convinced he will sign it.</p><p>While speaking with the media today, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/denver-nuggets/nuggets-news-josh-kroenke-bizarrely-mentions-nikola-jokic-trade-scenario">Nuggets CEO and president Josh Kroenke</a><a href="https://twitter.com/DNVR_Nuggets/status/1937576674125603053" rel="noopener"> introduced some doubt that</a> Jokic would put pen to paper this summer.</p><p>“We’re definitely going to offer it,” Kroenke said of the extension. “I’m not sure if he’s going to accept it or not because we’re also going to explain every financial parameter around him signing now versus signing later, be completely transparent, that’s the way we always are, and that he makes the best decision for himself and his family, and we’ll support him in it.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Josh Kroenke on Nikola Jokic’s potential contact extension this summer:</p><p>“We’re definitely going to offer it. I’m not sure if he’s going to accept it or not.”</p><p>Jokic could sign this summer or later depending on what the financial numbers look like. <a href="https://t.co/vlzFnIqlcU">pic.twitter.com/vlzFnIqlcU</a></p><p>— DNVR Nuggets (@DNVR_Nuggets) <a href="https://twitter.com/DNVR_Nuggets/status/1937576674125603053?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 24, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>The reason why Jokic may want to wait to sign his extension is that, if he were to sign this summer, the extension would be worth around $213 million over three years. Those three years would be added onto the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/players/9a2908b3/nikola-jokic/contract">backend of his current deal</a>, negating the $62.8 million player option in 2027-28, the season in which the new extension would begin. That deal would then run from 2027 until 2030.</p><p>If he chooses to wait until next offseason to sign the extension, he would still get the same first-year salary (projected to be $65.5 million) in 2027-28. However, he would be able to sign for four years, instead of three, and thus guarantee himself more than $80 million in the final year of the deal. The extension would run until 2031, when Jokic will be 36 years old.</p><p>Theoretically, Jokic could hold off on signing any contract extension and become an unrestricted free agent in 2027. That would give him, as long as he remains at the top of his game and healthy, as much leverage as he can possibly get. If he decides to stay in Denver, re-signing with the team in 2027, he could ink a five-year supermax worth more than $380 million. The deal would extend until he was 37 years old.</p><p>Waiting is a risk, though. While players of Jokic’s caliber are more well-equipped and positioned to take those risks, Jokic may not want to play two more entire seasons and postseasons without the fallback of a lucrative deal guaranteed to him until the next decade.</p><p>Jokic finished second in MVP voting this season <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-shai-gilgeous-alexander-bold-plan-beating-nikola-jokic-mvp">behind Shai-Gilgeous Alexander</a>, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-nba-finals-pacers-eerily-similar-nuggets-series">whose Oklahoma City Thunder eliminated the Nuggets</a> in the second round of the playoffs en route to an NBA championship.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

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