If you believed what the Nuggets preached all season – that is, incremental growth, sustained progress, organic development, then a deal that would’ve brought superstar Anthony Davis to Denver never made any sense.
Before Saturday’s league-altering trade between New Orleans and the Los Angeles Lakers, which sent Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart and three first-round picks to the Big Easy for Davis, the Nuggets did their due diligence on a potential Davis deal, according to a league source.
Davis, who can be a free agent next summer, had long made it known that he wanted to play alongside LeBron James in Los Angeles. If the Nuggets believed that Davis would’ve considered staying past next season, they would’ve been more aggressive in trying to acquire the six-time All-Star, according to a source. They were confident that that wasn’t the case.
Furthermore, the Pelicans insisted that any potential deal for Davis had to include Nuggets rising star Jamal Murray. That was a non-starter for the Nuggets, who a month ago finished their most successful season in a decade.
The Lakers, with the knowledge that Davis wanted to be there, were willing to give up far more than the Nuggets wanted to offer.
It’s easy to point to the success of the recently crowned champion Toronto Raptors and say the Nuggets should’ve done everything in their power to attain a player of Davis’ caliber. But not only could it short-circuit Denver’s promising future, Toronto’s huge gamble was for a player (Kawhi Leonard) with an NBA Finals MVP already on his resume. With all due respect to Davis, the Pelicans weren’t world-beaters.
The other factor concerned Nuggets rookie Michael Porter Jr. The prized prospect has spent the past year redshirting under the careful watch of the Nuggets’ organization, and as Porter Jr.’s fullcourt workouts have ramped up recently, optimism has been building about his potential. The reality is that no team could value Porter Jr. more than the Nuggets at this stage, simply because no one else has seen him play.
Rivals and league executives will get their first glimpse of last year’s No. 14 pick when he debuts at Summer League in early July.
The possibility of pairing All-NBA center Nikola Jokic with Anthony Davis was enticing and could’ve potentially vaulted Denver into the upper echelon of title contenders next season. But the Nuggets were unwilling to part with Murray, one of their core pieces, for what could’ve been just a one-year run with Davis.
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