Malone drops big hint about Nuggets NBA Trade Deadline plans

If the Denver Nuggets are going to deal a part of their Core Four before Thursday’s NBA Trade Deadline, the only possible options are Nikola Jokic and Michael Porter Jr.—nobody in the right mind thinks the three-time MVP would be on the move even in a post-Luka Doncic trade world, and Michael Malone made it clear the team won’t be parting with their 26-year-old forward either.

Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon aren’t eligible to be traded this season even if the Nuggets wanted them out because each just signed contract extensions on the eve of the season. Thanks to the league’s trade rules, it pretty much means the Nuggets wouldn’t be sending out or acquiring a big-name player. But that’s the reason why Porter’s name has been in some rumors to begin with.

Porter proved his worth very much so on Monday. He had a season-high 36 points on seven of 12 from deep with seven rebounds, again playing a lot of power forward with Aaron Gordon and Peyton Watson sidelined due to injury. The scoring punch was needed during the Nuggets 125-113 win over the Pelicans since Russell Westbrook was also out for the contest.

“No because we’re not trading Michael Porter, so I’m not touching base with anybody on that,” Michael Malone said of talking with Porter about the lead-up to the deadline. “I’m touching base with the guys on better defense, better spacing, taking care of the ball, and if something is coming, obviously Calvin (Booth) will talk with me, and I’m sure we’ll communicate with whatever players, but yeah, Michael is a really important piece. Michael helped us win a championship, so we’ll see what happens going into Thursday. But to my knowledge, there have been no conversations. I don’t feel the need to converse with somebody when there’s nothing there.”

Porter is one of just four players to start 50 games this season, and there are only a few other players who have started all their teams’ games. Julian Strawther is the lone other Nugget to even play in all 50 of the team’s games thus far. MPJ played 81 games last season, only missing a contest because he didn’t have the right shoes to support his back. This hints at just how special MPJ’s Iron Man turn is, because he missed basically two of his first four seasons and his whole college career with back injuries. His six-year time with the Nuggets has turned into a roaring success with not only a title to claim but him adapting into a highly productive tertiary option.

Not only is Porter playing, but doing so well. He’s averaging 18.3 points, 6.4 rebounds and a career-high 2.2 assists a night all while shooting 51.3% from the field and 40.8% from deep—which is top 40 in the league. Porter is just one of eight players in the league who have played more than 30 games this season while shooting that well on so much volume, snagging at least 4.5 defensive rebounds a game and getting a block every other game, too. The only player younger on the list is Anthony Edwards and it features Karl-Anthony Towns, Kevin Durant and LeBron James.

I’ll keep banging the MPJ drum

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— Jake Shapiro (@shapalicious.bsky.social) February 3, 2025 at 10:27 PM

So the biggest trade the Nuggets are even going to consider at the deadline would involve their 2031 first-round pick, Zeke Nnaji and Dario Saric’s salaries as well as high upside youngsters like Julain Strawther, Peyton Watson or Christian Braun if the Nuggets were getting really spicy. Likely, the deal only ends up being able to get a player back making about $16.5 million or less. In NBA terms, the Nuggets could offer the pu pu platter and hope to get a sixth-man type back.

This is the first of a four-year $32 million extension that just kicked in for Nnaji. He has been atrocious and Denver might need to use their lone draft pick left to just get off the contract. Though Nnaji has gotten big playing time in the Nuggets last two games and has looked decent enough, maybe that can move the needle just a bit. Saric is somehow buried on the bench behind him as his signing this offseason has been a disaster.

Not news to many but the Nuggets won’t be making a giant splash at the deadline, they’ll likely look at some smaller stuff to deepen their bench, especially with the injuries pilling up at power forward.