The Denver Nuggets officially became a second-apron team on Monday when they matched the Oklahoma City Thunder’s two-year, $12 million offer sheet for Spencer Jones. The Los Angeles Lakers are in prime pouncing position to steal a key piece or two from the Nuggets, who are reportedly determined to escape their current tax situation.
One Lakers trade idea doing the rounds would see the franchise land Cam Johnson in a deal involving Jarred Vanderbilt and Dalton Knecht.
Lakers Trade Idea for Cam Johnson
Nuggets would receive: Jarred Vanderbilt, Dalton Knecht
Lakers would receive: Cameron Johnson
Beyond the obvious fit of adding an elite 3-and-D wing who shot a career-high 43% from deep last season, Johnson brings built-in chemistry with JJ Redick. The two share a bond dating back to Redick’s media days; Johnson was a frequent guest on Redick’s podcast long before he took the Lakers job, and now regularly co-hosts the show.
As has been widely reported, the Lakers continue to seek a quality wing player to round out their roster after they onboarded nine new pieces this offseason. While P.J. Washington and Jonathan Kuminga — their reported targets — could be nice fits, Johnson would be a significant upgrade due to his versatility on both ends.
Nuggets Preparing for Fire Sale?
As for the Nuggets, the hypothetical trade would provide a huge relief on their luxury tax bill, which rose to a $68M penalty after the Spencer Jones move. The Nuggets currently face severe roster-building constraints and could be forced to offload either Johnson or Christian Braun, especially after investing in Jones.
“Denver is attempting to move a contract or two to get back under the second apron and clear enough money to retain Watson, the league sources said,” The Athletic’s Tony Jones reported on Monday.
For what it’s worth, Hoops Hype’s Michael Scotto reported last week that the Nuggets have rebuffed trade offers for Cam Johnson. But that was before they became a second-apron team.
“Numerous teams have called the Denver Nuggets hoping they’d be willing to dump forward Cam Johnson, who’s owed $23.06 million in the final year of his contract, but those inquiries have been rebuffed, league sources told HoopsHype,” Scotto reported.
“After shooting career-highs from the field (.480) and beyond the arc (.430), Denver was pleased with his production despite injuries limiting Johnson to 54 starts last season. In Johnson’s last 15 regular-season games, he averaged 15.2 points on 56.2 percent shooting from the field and 48.2 percent from downtown,” he added.
The Nuggets have yet to come to terms with restricted free agent Peyton Watson on a new contract. Per multiple insiders, they’ve been unwilling to offer more than five-year deal worth $70M, even as Watson’s camp is seeking north of $25M pers season. The huge gap in numbers could lead to the Nuggets losing Watson to a keen suitor.
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