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What has not been previously revealed: The Stein Line has learned that the Nuggets showed a willingness to package two future second-rounders and a second-round pick swap along with Zeke Nnaji's very available contract in a bid to bring Kevin Porter Jr. to the Rocky Mountains. Yet I'm told that the Bucks ultimately walked away from the Porter-to-Denver discussions as well — and then waived Porter Jr. — because they could not stomach the idea of swallowing Nnaji's $7.5 million salary for the 2027-28 season.
NBA Trade Machine: Over the past 24 hours, Zeke Nnaji featured in 4.4% of trades built on HoopsMatic. Within his trades, he landed most often in Chicago (16.7%), LA Lakers (14.8%), and Charlotte (11.1%). Most often, he was traded for Stephen Curry (9.3%), Jaden Hardy (7.4%), and Khaman Maluach (7.4%).
Harrison Wind: Nuggets minicamp in Puerto Rico at JJ Barea’s facility - Aaron Gordon - Cam Johnson - Julian Strawther - Spencer Jones - Tyus Jones - DaRon Holmes - Alpha Diallo - Zeke Nnaji - Trevon Brazile - Bryce Hopkins - KJ Simpson - Lonnie Walker
While the Bucks haven’t offered a first-round pick yet, they’d consider absorbing Nuggets forward Zeke Nnaji as part of a Watson sign-and-trade, HoopsHype has learned. Nnaji is owed a combined $14.93 million with two seasons remaining on his contract, including a player option for the 2027-28 season.
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Vinny Benedetto: Stan Kroenke and Alex Rodriguez have been chatting for a good 15 minutes now. Tim Connelly and Josh Kroenke talked before TC greeted Zeke Nnaji, Aaron Gordon and others in the Nuggets organization.
Brendan Vogt: Spencer Jones is out with a right hamstring strain. Zeke Nnaji is out with a left hip sprain. Aaron Gordon is probable with left calf tightness.
Scuttlebutt around the league remains that Denver is almost definitely going to complete a trade before the Feb. 5 deadline. Just on an exponentially smaller scale. The team’s aim, as I’ve reported in recent weeks, will be to duck the luxury tax with a minor deal and convert Spencer Jones to a standard contract so he can continue playing, as long as his money aligns with the Kroenkes’ end goal. The Nuggets would be able to treat Jones as an upgrade to their power forward depth for the stretch run and the playoffs.
It’s no secret around the league that Denver’s preferred candidate to offload is Zeke Nnaji, whose 2025-26 cap hit is about $8.2 million. Nnaji was a solid contributor in January, averaging 8.4 points and 5.1 rebounds in 22 minutes as an emergency center. He’s closed out multiple wins on account of his switchable defensive acumen
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These are fairly normal disputes for a coach and executive to encounter. What differentiated Denver's situation was a lack of trust that either was operating in good faith. Accusations of ego and malice festered behind the scenes. Booth believed Malone was holding back Pickett and using Nnaji out of position to spite Booth, league sources said. Malone believed Booth made roster moves to force him into playing Booth's unseasoned draft picks.
There was little roster maneuverability this season to pursue further improvements. Booth told local reporters following February's trade deadline that, if Denver was going to make any move, it would have depended on including Nnaji's $8.8 million salary and Dario Šarić's $5.1 million. Sources say that the Nuggets had interest in a number of available players in that price range — Terance Mann standing out among them before Mann landed with Atlanta — but Denver felt the cost was too high. Šarić's player option for next season, furthermore, was definitely viewed by potential trade partners as a deterrent. Booth's decision to award player options to Šarić and Westbrook went down as another demerit on the team's recent roster building in the view of rival cap strategists.
When Malone was reluctant to play Nnaji at power forward, where analytics show he was resoundingly better than as a backup center, more than one staffer wondered whether there was an agenda behind it. "The numbers are way better [with Nnaji] as a 4 than a 5," one team source said. "But if you play him as a 5, he gets exposed. Who does that make look bad?"
Defensive consistency has recently evaded these Nuggets, sitting at 26th in defensive rating since the All-Star break entering Friday night against Utah. But they got necessary stops in the fourth quarter Wednesday against Milwaukee and held the Jazz to 36% from the field Friday, thanks in no small part to the efforts of Nnaji and Watson. “If we can come out with that type of mindset from the jump,” Nnaji told The Denver Post pregame Friday, speaking on wire-to-wire defensive effort, “I think we’re the scariest team to play against.” And Watson is the most important variable in that equation, continuing to cement himself as Denver’s stopper. “I got nothing but confidence in myself, especially come playoff time,” Watson said, postgame. “I’m a gamer. I’m a riser.
