The Denver Nuggets were widely viewed to be contenders this season, but Nikola Jokic's supporting cast fell short of expectations, resulting in a first-round exit at the hands of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Now, Denver heads into an uncertain offseason in which just about anything and everything should be on the table, with Jokic considered the only true untouchable. Two trade candidates emerging in Denver are Christian Braun and Cameron Johnson, NBA insider Marc Stein reported on The Stein Line.
"There is a growing belief leaguewide that the Nuggets will explore their potential trade options with Christian Braun as well as Cam Johnson in a bid to create financial flexibility for matching offers to restricted free agent Peyton Watson and perhaps further retooling of Nikola Jokić's supporting cast."
Nuggets are shopping Christian Braun and Cameron Johnson
Portland should be calling about Braun and Johnson, as either would be a great addition for a team that suddenly has aspirations of a deep playoff run next season. But between the two, Stein adds that Braun is more likely to stay in Denver because of his contract and relationship with Jokic.
"Johnson is naturally seen as much more movable than Braun with just one season left on his contract at $23.1 million. Next season, meanwhile, will be Year 1 on the five-year, $125 contract extension that Braun received in October."
Blazers GM Joe Cronin tends to trade for players with multiple years remaining on their contracts, which especially makes sense for a market like Portland that has more difficulty attracting and, at times, retaining talent.
But Johnson could be a worthwhile exception, given that shooting is the top offseason priority for the Blazers to address.
Blazers should buy low on Johnson to add shooting
Denver's trade for Johnson largely backfired. Michael Porter Jr. had a career season with the Brooklyn Nets, while Johnson struggled to find his footing with the Nuggets. He averaged just 12.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game, which isn't exactly what the Nuggets were hoping for when they attached an unprotected 2032 first-rounder to swap Porter for Johnson.
However, this presents a golden buy-low opportunity for the Blazers to finally address their shooting once and for all. He'd certainly be cheaper than what the Nuggets acquired him for just a year ago.
Even in his down season, Johnson was still one of the most reliable floor spacing options in the league, connecting on 43.0 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc. The Blazers need to capitalize on his underwhelming season and the Nuggets' financial crunch to add that much-needed shooting.
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