The Denver Nuggets need more wing depth, particularly wing depth that can shoot.
Denver sorely misses Kentavious Caldwell-Pope not only for his elite defense but for his ability to knock down open threes.
The Nuggets are one of the worst three-point shooting teams in the NBA right now, and everyone (including Nikola Jokić) knows it.
Denver is undoubtedly mulling its trade options, and while the Nuggets will certainly be shopping for shooters, they also need guys who aren’t going to be cones on defense.
The Western Conference — and the entire NBA, for that matter — is full of stud athletes on the wing, and in order to be a contender, you need long and athletic depth on the wing to be able to hang in games defensively.
While Denver would love to add a guy like Zach LaVine before the deadline (despite LaVine’s average defense), another trade option for the Nuggets is Cody Martin of the Charlotte Hornets, who would provide more defensive value than LaVine, not to mention at a far, far cheaper price.
Bleacher Report’s Grant Hughes has called Martin a “realistic target” and asserted that Martin could be immensely valuable to Denver if he can shoot the ball well from three like he did a couple of seasons ago.
Hughes noted that Denver could fairly easily trade for Martin by sending Charlotte a package comprised of big man Zeke Nnaji, Denver’s No. 22 overall selection from the 2020 NBA draft, along with some draft capital.
“Martin would definitely represent an upgrade on the role Justin Holiday filled a year ago, and he might even force Christian Braun and his nonexistent three-point shot out of the starting shooting guard spot,” Hughes said.
“If Martin could match his 38.4 percent three-point shooting from 2021-22, he could give the Nuggets more size on the wing without sacrificing the spacing this team can’t afford to lose. Nnaji’s salary matches up nicely here, so Denver might only need to add a little future draft equity to get a deal done.”
Martin is in the third year of a four-year, $31.4 million contract.
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