Five players the Denver Nuggets could trade for midseason

We’re less than a week away from the start of the 2016-17 NBA season, and the Denver Nuggets have done … not much.

It’s status quo as normal.

They drafted some quality young prospects, they re-signed some of their own veterans and they’re banking on health and development to carry them into playoff contention. But they did not make the major move so many — including myself — were expecting.

No trades, no consolidation, no nothing. Denver’s most-important acquisition is the return of Wilson Chandler and their most-important loss is journeyman point guard D.J. Augustin. Big whoop.

Both Tim Connelly and Michael Malone have been hinting at a major move for months, openly saying “we’re not done” and “there are still moves to make,” but as of today, nothing has come to fruition. And it’s frustrating.

While there is a ton of young, exciting talent on this roster, you can make the case that there’s too much. And I will.

Playing Nikola Jokic at the four is not the Nuggets’ best lineup — not even close — but they’re going to play him there because they need to get Jusuf Nurkic more minutes, which he absolutely deserves. The same goes for Will Barton at the two. Yes, he deserves to be the Nuggets sixth man, but you didn’t select Jamal Murray at the seventh overall pick to have him warm the bench behind Gary Harris and Barton, but what are you supposed to do? Sit Barton? Harris? No, because they deserve the minutes.

Denver needs to consolidate. They need to find their core and build around it, not develop a core that runs eight deep.

So with that said, a trade will come. It has to, and it’ll most likely involve Kenneth Faried, along with some combination of assets.

When they finally decide to pull the trigger, here are five names the Denver Nuggets could target:

Bonus: Paul George

There’s almost no chance of this happening, but if things really don’t go well for the Pacers this season and they decide on a full rebuild, there aren’t many teams with as many assets to offer up as the Denver Nuggets.

He’s a top-10 player on both ends of the court and would instantly make the Nuggets a contender in the West.

I can dream, can’t I?!

5. Kevin Love

This one isn’t going to be received with much excitement, but it’s important to keep an open mind. Sound good?

Alright, here’s the deal (my deal) with Love: He’s in a miserable situation. That may sound weird given that he’s currently an NBA Champion and on a fast track back to his third straight NBA Finals, but personally, as a basketball player, he’s in the worst system possible.

Love is very good. We’ve seen that. There aren’t many players in NBA history who can average 26 points and 12 rebounds, and he did it twice! But when he’s relegated to a glorified spot-up shooter, his talents simply aren’t being used.

In Cleveland, he’s asked to stand in the corner, shoot threes and look pretty. He does a pretty good job of it too, averaging 16 and 10 in each of the last two years. But put him back in a position where he’s the leading man and watch those numbers climb again.

Love needs to be in the high post, he needs to be running the offense and he needs to be a No. 1 option. With the Nuggets, he’d be just that.

Unfortunately, barring a locker room implosion, it’s hard to imagine the Cavaliers making any major moves after winning the Finals last season.

4. Serge Ibaka

“Whoa!” you say. “The Magic just traded for Ibaka. They’re not giving him away!”

Fair point, but clearly you haven’t been watching the Orlando Magic of late. They haven’t the faintest idea what they’re doing.

Serge Ibaka may be their best player, but Aaron Gordon is their future, and no matter how hard they try, Gordon is not a small forward. At some point Orlando is going to realize they’re best lineup is with Gordon at the four, and then you have to wonder what they do with Ibaka.

I’m not sure why the Nuggets didn’t make a move for Ibaka on draft night, but if he becomes available again, I’d make a strong push to get him in Denver.

Like Love, Ibaka wasn’t used to the best of his abilities in OKC, but in Denver, he’d be a perfect fit. A stretch four with elite rim protection, he’d be the perfect complement to Jokic.

3. LaMarcus Aldridge

One year in San Antonio and reports are that Aldridge is already looking for a way out. Could Denver be his new home?

Aldridge wants to be the focal point of the offense, but with Kawhi Leonard evolving into an MVP candidate, that’s not going to happen with the Spurs. With Denver, he can be whatever he wants to be.

Some people may not realize how great Aldridge is because he’s a quite guy who’s spent his entire career playing for the low-key Trailblazers and Spurs, but he is great. For his career, he’s averaging 19.4 points, 8.4 rebounds and a block, and he’s likely coming of the best, most-efficient season of his career. He’s a five-time All-Star, a four-item All-NBA player and a winner.

If he really wants out of San Antonio, the Nuggets should get on the phone and give Pop a call ASAP.

2. Nerlens Noel

Of all the players on this list, Noel is clearly the least accomplished, but he’s a fascinating player, nonetheless.

With the return of Joel Embiid, the 76ers have made it clear that they’re looking to get rid of one of their two big guys, Noel or Jahlil Okafor, and the Nuggets could be in a position to pounce.

Not many people have seen much of Noel the last two years — the 76ers haven’t exactly been, uh, watchable — but he’s one of the best defensive prospects in the NBA, averaging 1.7 blocks and 1.8 steals a game through his first two NBA seasons.

If the Nuggets are truly looking to go with a two-big-man lineup, a Noel-Jokic pairing makes a lot more sense to me than a Nurkic-Jokic pairing. Offensively, I could see them running a very similar pick-and-roll game that we’ve come to see from DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin in LA, and defensively, Noel would have the athleticism to step out onto fours while Jokic defends the five.

And with Philadelphia likely looking to move him sooner than later, and with his injury history growing longer and longer (he just underwent another minor knee procedure), the Nuggets might be able to get a good deal.

1. Paul Millsap

This is my guy. He’s the best superstar you’ve never heard of, and reports are that the Nuggets already had a deal in place to get him before Al Horford left Atlanta for Boston.

If the Hawks get off to a bumpy start, and with Millsap hitting free agency this offseason, they may be willing to open up discussions again.

And if you’re asking me, this is a move the Nuggets need to make. Not just because I love Paul Millsap and think he would fit in perfectly with the Nuggets, but because the Nuggets need to make a move, pure and simple.

Right now, if Danilo Gallinari opts out of his contract as expected, the Denver Nuggets are set to have over $37 million in cap space next offseason, and they need to make sure they use it wisely — on a star, preferably.

Right now, though, even if the Nuggets exceed all expectations, with the roster they have, they’d be lucky to get any higher than the seventh seed in the West. That’s not convincing any All Stars to move to the Mile High City.

But say the Nuggets bring in a proven star like Millsap, push themselves up towards 50 wins and a top five seed, and things start to change. Maybe an All Star actually looks at Denver and says, “Hey, I can win there.”

Right now, the status quo simply isn’t enough.