The Denver Nuggets are riding high on their 2023 championship win, and with Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray still at the height of their powers, the 2023-24 season promises to bring more of the same joy to fans of the franchise.
But before the 2023-24 season tips off, let's take a look first at the 10 best trades in the Nuggets' 57 years of history.
Honorable Mentions: Trading Jusuf Nurkic away, handing the keys to the franchise to Nikola Jokic (2017); Landing Andre Iguodala in a four-team hodgepodge of a trade (2012); Acquiring Jerami Grant for a pittance (2019)
10. JR Smith heads to the Mile High for a bargain (2006)
Nuggets get JR Smith from the Chicago Bulls for two second-round picks
JR Smith was an athletic, 21-year old guard when the Bulls acquired him in the trade that sent Tyson Chandler to New Orleans. So it was confounding when the Bulls decided that they wanted nothing to do with Smith, dealing him away to the Nuggets for two second rounders.
Smith became an incredible talent for the Nuggets, emerging as one of the best microwave spark plugs off the bench in the process. He was an instrumental part of the team for five seasons before he joined the New York Knicks in 2012.
9. Shooting for the stars (2006)
Nuggets trade for Allen Iverson from the Philadelphia 76ers for package headlined by Andre Miller
With Allen Iverson growing increasingly frustrated by all the Sixers' losing, the Nuggets traded for him in 2006, pairing him with another lethal perimeter scorer in Carmelo Anthony. Iverson and Anthony, the cornrowed duo, formed a partnership that was difficult to defend, making the Nuggets dark-horse contenders in the Western Conference.
Alas, the team never made it past the first round with Iverson in town, necessitating another point guard upgrade down the line.
8. Infinite Antonio McDyess glitch (1995, 1997, 2002)
1995: Nuggets acquire Antonio McDyess from the Los Angeles Clippers
1997: Nuggets trade away McDyess to the Phoenix Suns for three-first round picks
2002: Nuggets deal McDyess to the Knicks for Marcus Camby and Nene
It's not too often that a single player reaps this much reward for a single franchise. But in Antonio McDyess' case, the Nuggets are forever in his debt.
Acquiring him in a draft-day trade steal, McDyess immediately become an impact player for his first two years as a Nugget. Only 23, the Suns then saw him as a future building block, trading away three first-rounders (two of which would become Tyronn Lue and James Posey). But after just one year, the budding power forward decided to return to Denver after a drama-filled free agency process, leaving the Suns with nothing to show for.
Antonio McDyess then continued to blossom into an All-Star talent, even developing into a 20-12 player in 2001 en route to the only All-Star appearance of his career. So even after suffering a knee injury that limited him to just 10 games during the 2001-02 season, the Knicks traded Marcus Camby and Nene (among others) for him in hopes of facilitating a career revival when he recovers.
Alas, McDyess never recovered his All-Star status, and the Nuggets come out on top of this McDyess ordeal with Camby and Nene being fixtures of the roster for years. Camby had multiple seasons of 3+ blocks per game for the Nuggets, while Nene averaged 12 and 7 in his 10 seasons with the team. Amazing stuff.
7. The finishing touches to a championship team (2022)
Nuggets acquire Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Ish Smith from the Washington Wizards for Monte Morris and Will Barton
By the conclusion of the 2021-22 season, Will Barton had overstayed his welcome in Denver. And with the impending return of Jamal Murray, the Nuggets felt like Barton's skillset was superfluous given the other pieces they had on the roster.
Thus, Barton (and Monte Morris) gave way for the arrival of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Caldwell-Pope was a better shooter and defender than Barton, and he was a perfect fit as a player who'll do the 3-and-D dirty work required for a Nuggets team in search of a championship.
And that's exactly what KCP did. He became the Nuggets' chief point-of-attack defender, chasing the likes of Anthony Edwards, Devin Booker, and Jimmy Butler on the perimeter, and he also made a ton of timely threes as the team won the championship. This trade looks more and more like a steal with each passing day.
6. A prehistoric swap (1974)
Nuggets receive Bobby Jones in exchange for Marvin Barnes
The best kinds of trades for a team are the ones wherein they end up acquiring an All-Star talent for a discount price. And in 1974, that's exactly what the Nuggets franchise did when they acquired Bobby Jones for Marvin Barnes.
Barnes, to his credit, was a dangerous scorer during his time in the ABA, averaging 24.1 points per game across two seasons for the Spirits of St. Louis. But the NBA merger did not help matters for Barnes, making the Nuggets undisputed winners of the trade.
Bobby Jones was a multi-positional wrecker on defense, and he was also an efficient scorer from the field. He just ticks off all the boxes when it comes to making winning contributions. Some of the Nuggets' most successful years in the 1970s came thanks in large part to Jones' incredible play.
However, Jones only played in four seasons for the Nuggets, which significantly affects the placement of this trade on this list.
5. The perfect Nikola Jokic complement (2021)
Nuggets acquire Aaron Gordon from the Orlando Magic for Gary Harris, RJ Hampton, and a first-round pick
In 2021, the Nuggets were already gearing up for a championship push. With that goal in mind, the Nuggets traded away Gary Harris, a piece who was crucial to the team for years and a few other positive assets for Aaron Gordon, solidifying their starting power forward situation amid Paul Millsap's heavy decline.
After a few years of stagnation with the Magic, it wasn't quite clear yet if the addition of Gordon would pay off for the Nuggets. But transitioning into more of a support role did wonders for Gordon's career. Instead of taking on the burden of being a team's offensive creator, Gordon utilized his incredible athleticism and game feel to punish opponents with cuts, dump-offs on the dunker spot, and spot-up threes. He then became the most qualified player to take on some of the toughest matchups on the wings, defending the likes of LeBron James and Kevin Durant just this past postseason.
One would be hard-pressed to find a more ideal frontcourt partner for Nikola Jokic. And as the dust settles more and more, it becomes increasingly more apparent that the Nuggets acquired Aaron Gordon for such an amazingly low price.
4. A win-win with the Big Apple (2011)
Nuggets say goodbye to Carmelo Anthony, trade him away for Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler, Timofey Mozgov, and a pick swap that ended up being Jamal Murray
Trading away a superstar player is never an easy pill to swallow for any franchise. But in 2011, it became clear for the Nuggets that Carmelo Anthony was eyeing a move towards the Knicks. So instead of losing him for nothing, the Nuggets dealt him away, receiving quality pieces such as Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler in return.
The team remained afloat, and even won 57 games two seasons after trading Anthony away. But the trade didn't really pay off in a huge way until 2016, when the Nuggets utilized a pick swap they received from the Knicks to draft Jamal Murray. Suffice to say, that is what justifies this trade's high placement on this list.
Murray has evolved into a full-fledged postseason hero, the rare kind of player who elevates his game considerably in the postseason. Even after suffering a torn ACL in 2021, the Blue Arrow shattered everyone's expectations of him during the 2023 NBA playoffs, helping deliver the franchise's first championship in the process. And that may not have been possible without the fateful pick swap they received thanks to the Carmelo Anthony trade.
3. The perfect Carmelo Anthony complement (2008)
Nuggets make timely Chauncey Billups swap, deal Allen Iverson to the Detroit Pistons
The Nuggets front office may have infused the team with life with the addition of Allen Iverson in 2006, but even with The Answer in town, the team's results on the court did not improve dramatically. They exited the playoffs in the first round in 2007 and 2008, leaving the front office scrambling for answers.
With Iverson failing to start the 2008-09 season on the best of notes, the Nuggets dealt him away to the Pistons for Chauncey Billups. Little did everyone know that Iverson would start to fall apart by then, while Billups continued to truck along as one of the best floor generals in the league.
Billups gave the Nuggets a point guard that ran the offense to perfection, helping stabilize the team while Carmelo Anthony's performance on the court dipped. Mr. Big Shot was still on the top of his game, and he almost pushed the Nuggets over the hump, leading them to their first Conference Finals appearance in 24 years.
2. Addition by subtraction by addition (1984)
Nuggets trade away 29+ PPG scorer Kiki Vandeweghe to the Portland Trail Blazers for Fat Lever, Calvin Natt, and Wayne Cooper
It's not too often that a team gets better after trading away a player who recently averaged 29+ points per game. But in the case of the 1984 Nuggets, it became clear that trading Kiki Vandeweghe away could have helped improve other areas of a roster that won just 38 games the season prior.
They then struck gold when they dealt Vandeweghe away for a trio of quality players — all of which would become starters for the 1985 Nuggets team that won 52 games and made the Western Conference Finals. Fat Lever acted as the floor general who made the team work seamlessly, Calvin Natt helped replace the scoring punch the team lost with Vandeweghe's departure, and Wayne Cooper anchored the defense, averaging 2.5 blocks per game during the aforementioned campaign.
In fact, Lever and Cooper were starters for the Nuggets for years. Getting those two alone would have been an alright return, but to also receive Natt on top of that was such a huge win, even though his prime was cut short by injuries.
The Nuggets franchise has always been good when it comes to trading away their Hall of Fame forwards, and this instance is no different.
1. Getting the Nuggets' GOAT (pre-Jokic) in grand larceny (1980)
Nuggets receive Alex English and first-round pick from the Indiana Pacers for George McGinnis
When the Nuggets acquired Alex English in 1980, he was an unproven commodity. Only in his fourth season in the NBA, English showed flashes of being a player who should end up having a long career in the NBA, but not as a star. Nevertheless, the Nuggets took a chance on him, even trading away George McGinnis, a player who made the All-Star team as recently as the previous season, just to get his services.
English then quickly blossomed into one of the best scorers of his time, flourishing under the breakneck pace the Nuggets played in. He fully got into his stride when Doug Moe took over, and he ended up averaging 25 points or more for eight consecutive seasons — making the All-Star team every year during that span.
Alex English scored the most points of any NBA player during the 1980s — a huge return for someone the Nuggets acquired for a declining McGinnis, who would only play on a professional level until 1982.
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