Nuggets nightmare 2026 NBA trade deadline scenario with Nikola Jokic

The Denver Nuggets have been relatively quiet when it comes to adding talent to the roster in the years since the Aaron Gordon trade, especially in the NBA trade deadline. That changed during the offseason. The team made a blockbuster trade flipping Michael Porter Jr. for Cam Johnson. They followed it up with passes for Jonas Valanciunas, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Bruce Brown. Despite their injury woes this year, their newfound depth has them in the best position to win another NBA Finals since winning the 2023 Larry O’Brien Trophy.

Of course, everything in Denver revolves around their three-time MVP Nikola Jokic. The Serbian giant is currently out of action due to a left knee injury. Denver actually survived Jokic’s absence better than anyone expected. With the team not already trading for another center during this stretch in which Valanciunas is also out, it seems unlikely that will happen anytime before the deadline.

In reality, the Nuggets just need to get healthy to have a deep and talented rotation. Whereas it would be much more likely that it would be term of trade buyers than sellersit seems most likely that the team will just stay at the trade deadline. What they can’t do is cut costs. Peyton Watson played fantastically as Denver battled through an injury bug. He was even named a Western Conference Player of the Week.

Watson’s improvement could cost him from Denver’s future. While losing Watson to free agency in the offseason would be painful, the Nuggets can’t afford to trade him this year thinking that getting something back is better than nothing. Trading Watson away would be the ultimate nightmare trade deadline scenario for the Nuggets.

The Nuggets can’t afford to trade Peyton Watson

The Nuggets need to be confident of continuing their second NBA championship this year. Trading Watson would only hurt their chances of doing so. If keeping Watson means losing him in the offseason for nothing, so be it. It would be a worthwhile repercussion if he could help the team win the NBA Finals.

This Nuggets team has the potential to be the best in franchise history. They are 29-15 despite the fact that Jokic, Johnson, Valanciunas, Aaron Gordon and Christian Brown all missed overtime. Jokic was still playing at an MVP level and loved it the best player in the NBA before he was injured. There is optimism that it will be returning to the starting line-up earlier than originally expected, also.

And Jamal Murray is well on his way to earning his first All-Star nod. The guard usually steps up his game by the playoffs, but he’s having by far the best season of his career, as evidenced by his 26 points per game. As a team, the Nuggets are first in field goal percentage (49.9%), 3-point percentage (39.8%) and points per game (121.4). At full strength, Denver should also have plenty of defensive talent on the roster. Gordon, Brown and Watson are strong defenders. Spencer Jones has become a key player because of his defensive prowess as well.

Despite injuries to Gordon and Porter Jr., the Nuggets pushed the Oklahoma City Thunder to seven games last year. The Thunder have looked human in recent months, so Denver could certainly outplay them in the playoffs this time around, and they’d have to be favored in an NBA Finals matchup against either team to make it out of the Eastern Conference. Still, the team’s title hopes rely heavily on Watson’s presence on the roster.

In addition to being a lean and aggressive defender, the UCLA product has taken several steps forward offensively. He averages 14 points per game, is effective as both a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer, and a ball creator. Trading him creates a huge hole in Denver’s rotation. This year, the Nuggets can’t worry about the future. Denver needs to be all in on the NBA Finals offense.