After the maneuvering of Tim Connelly, Calvin Booth, and the Denver Nuggets over the better part of the last half decade, the Denver Nuggets are currently without a draft pick for the 2025 NBA Draft on Wednesday and Thursday.
The first round of the 2025 Draft will take place Wednesday night, and after Cooper Flagg is selected by the Dallas Mavericks first overall, it’s expected to be a busy evening. The San Antonio Spurs and Philadelphia 76ers, drafting second and third overall, are expected to be active on the trade market all evening. The Phoenix Suns got things started yesterday by trading Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets.
For the first time since 2010, the Nuggets will most likely not make a selection in the draft. It’s been a while since the Nuggets have been completely dormant during a draft, and that may not change on Wednesday or Thursday. With no official General Manager or President of Basketball Operations installed at this point in the offseason, it stands to reason that the Nuggets will avoid making any significant moves.
And that’s what it would likely take to get involved in the draft this year.
See, not only do the Nuggets not have a draft pick available to them in 2025. They also don’t have tradable draft picks until their first round pick in 2031.
Yes, that’s correct. Prior moves made by Connelly and Booth (mostly Booth) have sent out first round picks in 2025, 2027, and 2029, as well as second round picks in 2025, 2026, 2027, 2028, 2029, 2030, and 2031. The Stepien Rule prevents the Nuggets from trading the first rounders they own in 2026, 2028, and 2030.
Last offseason, Booth traded six second round picks in the span of three days. Three were used in order to move up six spots in the draft to select DaRon Holmes II (who he told everyone he wanted). Another three were used to offload the $5 million in expiring salary owed to Reggie Jackson.
Denver’s draft picks in 2032 become available to trade after July 1st, but they won’t be a factor on draft night unless Denver does a deal that has to be completed in the new league year.
So, while not impossible that Denver gets involved in this week’s draft festivities, it’s less likely due to Denver’s lack of tradable picks to compensate other teams for deals.
Does that mean Denver will be doing nothing? Doubtful. Interim GM Ben Tenzer and…well, whoever else he has with him in the Nuggets war room on draft night, will remain appraised of what’s going on in the league at large. Depending on what Denver’s goals actually are, there may be some opportunities to improve the team tangentially. Will Owner/Governor Stan Kroenke and/or Vice Chairman Josh Kroenke allow for Denver to make any substantial moves without a POBO or GM installed? Again, that remains to be seen.
Let’s call it what it is though: the only way the Nuggets can get involved in the draft is by making a trade with their current players or the 2031 first round pick.
Starting with the pick, it would be extremely dangerous to use that draft pick in order to make a selection in this year’s draft. For one, it would be a continuation of Booth’s old plan of turning future assets into current young players, which means Denver would be required to get this pick right.
Perhaps there’s a player the Nuggets have identified in the process that they like enough to trade a future 2031 pick away. There would certainly be takers up and down the first round. Here’s a few teams that would entertain that as a possibility:
- San Antonio Spurs at 14th overall (They already did this with the Minnesota Timberwolves last year for the eighth overall pick in the draft)
- Oklahoma City Thunder at 15th or 24th overall. (Sure, let’s give OKC the rights to Denver’s 2027, 2029, and 2031 first round picks. Seems like that wouldn’t be dangerous at all!)
- Washington Wizards at 18th overall
- Brooklyn Nets at 19th, 26th, or 27th overall
- Utah Jazz at 21st overall
- Atlanta Hawks at 13th (probably not) and 22nd overall (probably)
- New Orleans Pelicans at 23rd overall
You get the idea. Several teams have multiple draft picks and probably wouldn’t mind diluting those picks to future years.
Still, Denver be absolutely sure the player they’re adding is at least close to a rotation player immediately, and it’s difficult to foresee Denver feeling comfortable enough with any prospect, despite the class being relatively good.
The other way Denver could get involved is by trading players, which gets complicated in its own right.
Denver’s not trading Nikola Jokic. They’re not trading Aaron Gordon. The prospect of trading one of Jamal Murray or Michael Porter Jr. with the salaries they’re owed seems unlikely.
The other players that Denver can trade are:
- Zeke Nnaji
- Dario Saric (after opting into his player option)
- Christian Braun
- Peyton Watson
- Julian Strawther
- DaRon Holmes II
- Jalen Pickett
- Hunter Tyson
Nnaji, Saric, and Tyson would seemingly not have any trade value by themselves for different reasons. Nnaji has three years left on his contract and hasn’t proven he can fill in consistently at power forward or center. Saric isn’t a positive value contract at his age and expected impact level. Tyson simply hasn’t showed enough at the NBA level for teams to talk themselves into him.
Going in reverse order, Pickett could probably fetch a second round pick in this draft. Strawther could probably earn two second rounders of varying strength. Watson is in the same ballpark because he has just one year left on a rookie contract before he gets paid, though he’s proven more and might swing a late first rounder from the right team. Holmes could probably net a late first round pick, but coming off of a torn achilles, it seems unlikely Denver would want to trade him or other teams would want to take that risk.
The only player that could definitely net a first round pick on Denver’s roster, among players they might consider trading, is Christian Braun, but that would be a shocking move. Perhaps Denver considers it if they don’t want to pay Braun’s next contract, but I seriously doubt it. Everyone in the Nuggets organization likes Braun and thinks he’s a quality starter in the NBA, especially after an impressive 2024-25 season.
Now, there IS one more way Denver could realistically add a draft pick this year: Swap rights.
Let’s say the Oklahoma City Thunder, who also own the 44th pick in the draft, are really trying to shift around their assets and don’t have enough roster spots for next season for the 15th, 24th, AND 44th pick in the draft. The Nuggets could offer swap rights on a first round draft pick in either 2028 or 2030. That way, the Thunder would control Denver’s first round picks for a big chunk of the late 2020’s. Denver might be able to swing a second round pick this year and a second round pick in a future year for just those swap rights.
It’s a dangerous move, but it allows Denver to get involved in the draft without having to deal with trading players.
So, here’s where we’re at: if the Nuggets are going to acquire a draft pick on Wednesday or Thursday, here’s how I would rank the most plausible ways that it could happen:
- Trading swap rights on a first round pick in either 2028 or 2030
- Trading Jalen Pickett for one second round pick or Julian Strawther for multiple second rounders
- Trading Peyton Watson for a late first round pick
- Trading the 2031 first round pick for a solid first rounder this year
Are ANY of these scenarios exceedingly likely? No. It’s why I haven’t brought up any names in the 2025 draft class until now. Perhaps the Nuggets go for a guard like Florida’s Walter Clayton Jr. or Michigan State’s Jase Richardson to give them some perimeter scoring off the bench. Maybe a wing like Colorado State’s Nique Clifford known for his versatility, or a defender like Adou Thiero of Arkansas, or a shooter like Will Riley of Illinois. Maybe they go for a big man to pair with DaRon Holmes, perhaps Creighton’s behemoth Ryan Kalkbrenner or Saint Joseph’s more switchable Rasheer Fleming.
Again, all of the scenarios above seem unlikely, but if the Nuggets fall in love with a player at a price point they like, maybe this time it will be worth the risk.