It’s about that time, folks. Trade season is upon us, and some recent news has been brought to light about a possible trade between the Denver Nuggets and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
According to Mitch Lawrence of Forbes.com the Cavs have been looking to add a point guard. Amongst those they are considering is Denver’s Jameer Nelson. This news comes in the wake of LeBron James’ postgame comments, saying his team needs a “fu****g* playmaker.” The Cavs are thin at the point guard position, with Kay Felder as the lone backup to Kyrie Irving. So, Cleveland could use a seasoned vet like Nelson to run the point effectively.
“For their thin backcourt, the Cavs have been looking to add Denver’s Jameer Nelson, Chicago’s Rajon Rondo or Dallas’ Deron Williams,” Lawrence says in his report. “Any of the three could help the Cavs. Nelson now is serving as Emmanuel Mudiay’s mentor, but could be dealt for the right price.”
Nelson, 34, has been the Nuggets backup point guard for most of the season, averaging 8.5 points and 4.5 assists per game, while shooting 36.4% from beyond the arc. The Nuggets have Emmanuel Mudiay and Jamal Murray as long-term options at the point guard position, meaning trading Nelson away could make sense, depending on the return.
With that said, the Nuggets are currently in the hunt for the 8th seed in the Western Conference, and with signs pointing towards the playoffs being a realistic possibility this season, keeping an experienced, established veteran like Nelson could be in the Nuggets’ best interest.
Expect the Nuggets name to be thrown around a lot as the deadline gets closer, due to the fact that they are one of the most asset-rich team’s in the league.
The NBA’s trade deadline is February 23rd at 3 p.m. ET.