Report: Nuggets could unload bad Zeke Nnaji contract and No. 26 pick

The Denver Nuggets desperately need salary cap space this offseason.

The priority is re-signing Peyton Watson, but the team is almost assuredly not going to go into the second apron to do so.

That likely means trying to trade Cameron Johnson or Christian Braun, but another option has emerged.

According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, forward Zeke Nnaji and his bad contract could be unloaded by Nuggets executives Ben Tenzer and Jonathan Wallace.

Denver has “signaled a willingness to discuss Nnaji and the No. 26 pick as a trade package,” according to Scotto’s league sources.

Former Nuggets GM Calvin Booth gave Nnaji a head-scratching four-year $32 million deal in October of 2023, despite him proving very little at the NBA level. It hasn’t gotten better since.

Last season, Nnaji appeared in 52 games, averaging only 3.7 points per game and 2.6 rebounds. He played in just two of the six first-round contests against the Minnesota Timberwolves, a shocking series loss that sent Denver home way earlier than anticipated.

While other reports have suggested the Nuggets could move up the NBA Draft board, this one would be them dumping Nnaji and attaching the No. 26 pick to make it more attractive for teams to take on his contract.

Nnaji is owed about $7.5 million this season and has a player option the following year. He’ll likely pick that up, because no one is paying him another $7.5 million to sit on the bench.

The draft is this week, so things could happen quickly. Nuggets fans would almost universally be okay with trading Nnaji, although losing the 26th pick while the team needs more depth could create controversy.

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