Nuggets Journal: All Four NBA Conference Finalists Gained from Blockbuster Trades. Should the Nuggets Consider Trading MPJ?

In the 2024 NBA conference finals, 40% of the starters were brought in through major trades made since the end of the 2021-22 season. However, can this strategy be applied to the Nuggets, who have already won a championship?

Typically, after two rounds of playoff basketball, the NBA community starts to reflect on the season’s overarching lessons. With only four teams remaining, their respective journeys to the conference finals become significant, offering a substantial enough sample size for the 26 eliminated teams to identify wider trends in the league.

This year, the trend is quite apparent.

But can the Denver Nuggets capitalize on it? That’s a tougher question.

All four teams that surpassed the Nuggets in the 2024 playoffs benefited from major trades involving star players over the last two years. Importantly, these trades were made in pursuit of a championship, not in defense of one.

This scenario might sound familiar to Nuggets fans. Back in 2021, the Nuggets traded two players and a first-round pick for Aaron Gordon, a core starter who had been a leading option on his previous team. This bold move eventually helped them secure a championship. For either Boston or Dallas in 2024, a similar high-impact trade (or trades) will likely be credited for achieving the same goal. Even Minnesota and Indiana, now eliminated, have been praised for exceeding expectations through significant trades.

Here’s a closer look at how these trades unfolded.

Between the 2023 and 2024 trade deadlines, the Mavericks sacrificed three first-round picks, two second-round picks, and five players to acquire three starters: Kyrie Irving, PJ Washington, and Daniel Gafford. The Timberwolves gave up four first-round picks, five players, and a pick swap for three-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert in the 2022 offseason, and later added former All-Star Mike Conley at the 2023 trade deadline.

The Pacers traded three first-round picks and two players for two-time All-NBA honoree Pascal Siakam at this year’s deadline. Meanwhile, the Celtics parted with a DPOY, four other players, a first-round pick, and a second-round pick during the 2023 offseason to acquire two key starters: Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday.

In total, 40% of the starters in the conference finals were acquired via trades since the end of the 2021-22 season, a relatively recent period. Six of these eight players (excluding the younger Washington and Gafford) have collectively made 17 All-Star appearances, nine All-NBA teams, and 14 All-Defensive teams.

These trades didn’t yield immediate success — Minnesota exited in the first round last year, and Dallas fell to the lottery after acquiring Irving. Similarly, it took two years for Gordon’s trade to translate into a championship for Denver, where he became arguably their third-best player. The Warriors also needed two years to win another title with their revamped roster after trading for Andrew Wiggins, who emerged as their second-best player during the 2022 run.

Both of these moves complemented rosters already built around homegrown superstars (Nikola Jokic and Steph Curry). Similarly, the successful trades of this year also supplemented teams built around drafted-and-developed stars. Holiday and Porzingis augmented the Celtics’ duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Gobert and Conley were brought in to maximize the Timberwolves’ window with Anthony Edwards. The Mavericks aimed to support Luka Doncic by bringing in Irving, Washington, and Gafford.

We are currently in the NBA’s most expansive Era of Parity in decades, with a sixth champion in as many years for the first time since 1980. Each of these champions benefited from major trades, including Kawhi Leonard to Toronto, Anthony Davis to Los Angeles, and Holiday to Milwaukee. The talent across the league is now achieving both unprecedented heights and balance. This makes for an exciting period for the sport and its fans but creates a challenging environment for aspiring dynasties, especially under the new collective bargaining agreement.

Securing a championship now often means committing to a short-term window, while rules are designed to gradually pull successful rosters apart. Continuity may help stay at the top, but if bold moves are what get you there initially, continuity can eventually turn into complacency.

This leaves the Nuggets at a crossroads, watching the 2024 playoffs from home. Can they learn anything from the conference finalists or from the potential title-winning teams of Boston or Dallas? Should Denver consider trading Michael Porter Jr. and demonstrate some boldness this summer, even at the risk of prematurely breaking up a proven core? Is adaptation necessary to break the cycle of new champions?

On the other hand, the Bucks’ recent attempts at bold moves, including their blockbuster trade for Damian Lillard, have not gone smoothly, highlighting the delicate balance Denver faces.