“Once summer gave way to fall and the basketball games started, there were problems, and those problems presented themselves from preseason to postseason”. In his season review of Zeke Nnaji, Denver Stiffs’ reporter, Zach Mikash, did not hold back in his criticism. Having signed a 4-year, $32 million extension with the Nuggets in October 2023, his performance in the 2023-24 season did not justify even close to the amount he was receiving. Potentially fuelled by this, rumors have been touting Nnaji as a potential trade prospect for quite some while now. From the looks of it, the Nuggets now have a good enough reason to engage in the trade.

According to a report by Forbes’ Evan Sidery, “The Nuggets are gauging the trade market for a rotation upgrade utilizing Zeke Nnaji’s $8.9 million salary.” However, his extension goes through the 2027-28 season. So, trading a player with such remaining dues may not be too appealing. Nikola Jokic and Co. may have to even attach a future first-round pick to make the deal more appealing.

The update comes after Zeke Nnaji failed to make a memorable mark during the previous season. Right from the start, the player displayed a series of poor rebounding performances. The Denver Stiffs’ season review report further indicated that Nnaji struggled to keep opponents off the glass. His three-point shooting stats looked poor when compared to his initial two seasons with the Nuggets. Furthermore, his struggles with setting effective screens did not make him a popular figure.

Zeke Nnaji’s trade rumor also comes at the same time that Charles Barkley made an important appeal. It is no secret that the Denver Nuggets have been struggling since the beginning of the ongoing NBA season. For every game they won, another loss seemed to be on its way. Nikola Jokic even lost their recent matchup against the Wizards, a team that held a 2-18 win record, by a 122-113 score!

A far cry from the same roster that won the NBA championship in 2023. Therefore, the NBA legend used his ‘NBA on TNT’ platform to state, “I hope they make a trade. You cannot waste the Joker’s career. He is the best player in the world. They let two guys go off the bench, that were very vital to them winning the championship. Their bench is weaker than water…”

It can be presumed that Barkley’s remarks may have been a shot at Nnaji. After all, a bench player, under a $32 million contract, who is only averaging 1.2 points, 0.5 rebounds, and 0.2 assists with 5.1 minutes of average playtime? The dots connect! Fortunately, it is never too late to make changes, and the Nuggets have several options to choose from when doing so.

3 Brooklyn Nets players are potential acquisitions as part of a Zeke Nnaji trade: “This trade helps them fill holes”

The Sporting News’ Nathaniel Holloway recently analyzed the methods through which the Denver Nuggets can make some changes. The most prominent amongst them is taking advantage through the Brooklyn Nets, who’ve recently made three players available. They include Cameron Johnson, Dorian Finney-Smith, and Cam Thomas.

Evan Sidery’s report claimed that the Denver Nuggets would only have to give up one future-first-round pick. Alongside Nnaji.

But in a possible trade, if the deal with the Nets goes forward, then the team may have to give up Michael Porter Jr. and Julian Strawther along with Zeke Nnaji and the draft picks to Brooklyn… The trade can go a long way in helping Nikola Jokic and Co.

After all, Cam Johnson and Cam Thomas can help on the offensive front, while Finney-Smith can assist the defense. Furthermore, the trade can free up around $4 million in cap space. This can allow Denver to make another deal in their quest to improve the rotation.

Whether the Nuggets utilize the opportunity remains to be seen. However, an 11-10 win record can only motivate them to get better.