Report: Nuggets working to trade up into first round of NBA Draft

When Adam Silver calls the name of a new Denver Nuggets player on Thursday it won’t be all-world French prospect Victor Wembanyama, but Calvin Booth may trade up to take a player that goes just a bit after Wemby.

According to a report from Mike Singer of the Denver Post, the Nuggets are looking to move into the first round of the 2023 NBA Draft. No the Nuggets aren’t looking for a star like Wembanyama this time around, instead, they’ll be trying to add another impact rookie like Christian Braun just a year later. Braun became a valuable wing for the Nuggets in his first year out of Kansas, helping the team to their first-ever championship. Braun was selected at No. 21 and Denver picked again at No. 30, taking UCLA forward Peyton Watson, who flashed some potential toward the season’s end but is still a project.

The #Nuggets are still actively pursuing ways to get into the first round of Thursday’s draft, league source tells @denverpost.

Previously reported that they were trying to use the 2024 first-rounder acquired from OKC to move up.

— Mike Singer (@msinger) June 19, 2023

If the Nuggets do trade up, they’ll likely end up in that 20-30 range. Currently, the team does not have a first-round pick, using it in a larger Steven Adams to New Orleans deal that netted Denver rookie R.J. Hampton on draft night. They used the young guard in the Aaron Gordon trade at that year’s deadline. But the Nuggets do have two second-rounders, at No. 37 and No. 40, thanks to some dealing during the NBA Finals. In that pick swap with the Thunder, the Nuggets netted a second first-rounder in 2024, which is what Singer says Denver could use to get into this year’s first round.

The 2023 Draft is thought to be one of the strongest classes in a long time. At the top, there should be a few stars while rotation-level players could get picked well into the second round. The Nuggets are looking for a Braun-type pick, a perfect plug-and-play player to supplement their championship roster.

Realistically the Nuggets need to be ready to replace Bruce Brown and look for a spell point guard to Jamal Murray. They could also go for a backup center, as Gordon at the five behind Nikola Jokic won’t work during the regular season and could use a bit more depth on the wing.

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