The Denver Nuggets are scrambling to find the last pieces of a championship puzzle after getting knocked out of the first round of the playoffs despite having the NBA MVP. To that end, they’re making a trade.
According to NBA insider Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, the Nuggets are closing in on a trade with the Washington Wizards. Per the report, Denver is sending Monte Morris and Will Barton to Washington in exchange for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Ish Smith.
Caldwell-Pope is coming off a bounceback year with the Wizards where he averaged 13.2 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game. He started 77 games for the Wizards.
Smith is a journeyman who has played for a dozen different NBA teams. But he had a strong finish to the 2021-22 season, averaging over five assists per game off the bench.
Monte Morris has played his entire five-year NBA career with the Nuggets. The 27-year-old point guard is coming off his best season, having averaged 12.6 points, 3.0 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game.
Will Barton also enjoyed a strong season, averaging 14.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game in 71 starts at shooting guard.
The reaction to the reported trade is pretty mixed. Some are saying that Denver is silly for doing this trade, while others feel that Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is better than both Morris and Barton.
Who do you think won this trade?