Analyst Names Nuggets’ ‘Too-Good-to-Be-True’ Trade Among NBA Offseason’s Best Moves originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Denver Nuggets entered the offseason knowing that they needed to make some moves to upgrade their roster around their core of Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon after back-to-back second-round playoff exits.
That is exactly what the Nuggets have done thus far this summer as they have made multiple moves to upgrade their rotation and depth.
Denver began the offseason by trading away Michael Porter Jr. and a 2032 first-round pick to the Brooklyn Nets for Cameron Johnson.
This was a surprise move by the Nuggets as they had been unwilling to move on from Porter Jr. in the past but this trade set them up to sign both Bruce Brown and Tim Hardaway Jr. in free agency and land Jonas Valanciunas from the Sacramento Kings.
Because of this, CBS Sports’ Brad Botkin listed the Nuggets’ trade for Johnson as the third-best move any team has made during the NBA offseason thus far.
“Wait, you’re telling me the Nuggets were able to get off Porter Jr.’s contract AND get Cam Johnson in the same deal? That’s bordering on too-good-to-be-true territory. But it is true, and the Nuggets immediately vaulted into legit top-tier title contention,” Botkin wrote.
Botkin makes a great point about how the Nuggets being able to move on from Porter Jr.’s contract and land Johnson is a surreal move.
Despite this, the Nuggets were able to make the move and while acquiring Johnson is a great move for Denver as they add a three-point sharpshooter to their starting lineup, the trade also allowed them to free up cap space.
With the cap space, the Nuggets were able to upgrade their second unit with the additions of Brown, Hardaway Jr. and Valanciunas as they addressed a key need this offseason.
By making these moves, the Nuggets have turned themselves into likely title contenders once again and they may be the biggest threat to the Oklahoma City Thunder next season.
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 18, 2025, where it first appeared.