The Denver Nuggets improved their record to 15-11 and are positioned as the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference after a 132-129 victory in overtime against the New Orleans Pelicans Sunday night.
After a slow start, three-time league MVP and 2023 NBA Finals MVP Nikola Jokić finished with 27 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists to help his team complete a 16-point second-half comeback.
Though Denver left with a victory, their poor performance to begin against an injury-riddled Pelicans team sporting a 5-25 record was concerning.
Following their 2023 NBA championship victory, Denver’s most valued role players began to leave after being offered contracts that they could not refuse.
Players that were vital to Denver’s title run like Bruce Brown and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope both used their fabulous postseason play as the ultimate negotiation chip in free agency, leading to the Nuggets’ depth being left depleted.
With the subtle decline of Jamal Murray and the complete dependence on their young prospects to lead the reserve group, it is clear that Denver needs to make several changes to supply Jokić with more firepower.
Recent reports have indicated that the Nuggets’ general manager Calvin Booth has expressed interest in contacting the Washington Wizards to inquire about the possibility of landing one of the most creative scoring guards in the league and a former NBA champion with the Golden State Warriors, Jordan Poole.
“While the Nuggets have the sixth-most efficient offense in the NBA, league executives pointed to Denver’s need to get Nikola Jokić some help as a primary concern,” The Athletic’s Mike Vorkunov wrote Monday afternoon. “It’s not a coincidence, then, that Denver has taken a look at LaVine, as well as Jordan Poole and Jordan Clarkson. Those players can potentially give the Nuggets another playmaker.”
At just 25 years old, Poole has enjoyed a resurgence in his second season as a member of the Wizards. The shifty shooting guard has contributed 20.8 points and 5.0 assists while shooting 41.2% from three-point range on 8.3 attempts.
Poole’s efficient season has led to plenty of interest from contending teams looking to acquire his services as the Feb. 6 trade deadline approaches.
Poole has shown that he can contribute when the lights are brightest, as he averaged 13.2 points while knocking down 38.5% of his attempts from distance during the 2022 NBA Finals, eventually leading to an NBA title victory.
To acquire Poole, the Nuggets would likely ship out a young prospect like Peyton Watson along with first-round draft compensation to assist the 4-22 Wizards with their rebuild.
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