2:16pm: As Agness reported below, the Nuggets’ own 2024 pick won’t be involved in this trade, ESPN’s Bobby Marks confirms (via Twitter).
The 2024 first-rounder the Pacers will receive from the Nuggets will be the one Denver gets in its trade with Oklahoma City: The least favorable of the Thunder’s, Clippers’, Rockets’, and Jazz’s picks.
12:28pm: The Pacers and Nuggets have agreed to a draft-pick swap, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter links), who reports that Denver will receive the No. 29 and No. 32 picks in Thursday’s draft.
In exchange for those two selections, Indiana will receive the No. 40 pick in 2023 and the least favorable of the Nuggets’ 2024 first-rounders, per Wojnarowski.
This is the second draft-pick trade the Nuggets have agreed to this month as they look to fill out their 2023/24 roster with low-cost contributors. Denver previously agreed to send its 2029 first-rounder to Oklahoma City in exchange for this year’s No. 37 pick, the least favorable of the Thunder’s 2024 first-round picks, and a 2024 second-rounder.
As a result of their latest trade, the Nuggets will now control the 29th, 32nd, and 37th overall picks on Thursday, putting them in position to select multiple players who could contribute as rookies. The team drafted Christian Braun and Peyton Watson at No. 21 and No. 30 last year and is counting on those youngsters to play increased roles next season.
As for the Pacers, they also control the seventh, 26th, and 55th overall picks in this year’s draft, so there was an expectation that they’d move one or more of their five selections rather than keeping and using all of them. The Pacers still control four 2023 picks, so it wouldn’t be surprising if they made at least one more deal this week. According to Wojnarowski (via Twitter), they remain active in trade talks.
In addition to holding its own 2024 first-round pick, the ’24 first-round selection that Denver is getting from Oklahoma City is the least favorable of the following first-rounders:
- The Thunder’s pick.
- The Clippers’ pick.
- The Rockets’ pick (top-four protected).
- The Jazz’s pick (top-10 protected).
According to ESPN, the Nuggets will send either their own pick or the pick they get from the Thunder (whichever is least favorable) to Indiana. However, Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files (Twitter link) hears that the Nuggets’ own pick isn’t involved, and Denver will simply reroute the pick they get from OKC on to the Pacers. We’ll wait for clarity on that point.
The full 2023 draft order can be viewed right here.
Denver wants Marcus Sasser I think as Ish Smith replacement
Not sure they’re losing Ish. They can keep him on a min probably.
Sasser would be a nice pickup by Denver.
29 n 32 are Solid picks in this draft.
That’s what I’m saying
He copies everyone then talks crap
I like Emani Bates or Amari Bailey with one of these picks, give them a season in G League to develop and give them a young option as a bench scorer in the future
Can’t say I understand this move from Indiana’s perspective. Are they convinced the nuggets will take a step back? The pick they are likely to receive will be worse than both of their current selections that they traded away. I don’t see Denver falling off in the next 2-3 years at all. They have consistently shown progress and gotten better each year, and their core guys are all locked up. Don’t get it at all.
I took it to mean Indiana doesn’t want to take any more young players on.
It’s mostly cuz indiana doesn’t have enough roster spots to hold all these guys atm
My trade grade
Nuggets A
Pacers F
I did not know this
When did Nuggets trade for Rockets top-4 protected pick. This is a huge asset.
The Nuggets don’t have that pick — OKC does. It’s just listed as a potential option because the pick Denver gets from OKC is the least favorable of their 2024 1st rounders, then re-routed to Indiana.
Makes sense for IND. They weren’t going to bring in 4 rookies, and a good trade up with 26, 29 and 32 was a pipedream. If they stay at 26, they’ll likely move 40 as well or use it for a draft and stash.
They got what the market would yield as of today, which is usually more than it will be on draft day. I’m sure they didn’t offer those picks only to DEN. The whole league knew about the availability of 26, 29 and 32.
Lakers could have been interested to get 2/3 cheap young rotation rooks … Team with no picks also
95 percent of draft picks are worthless.
I’d say more like 80%. 20% are rotation players or better and teams need more than 5 players to play an entire season and playoffs
If 95% of draft picks are worthless, that would mean only 3 players from each class would ever contribute anything to an NBA team. You and four other people seem overly pessimistic.
This trade makes no sense for Indiana.
The pacers had 5 pics and only 3 roster spots. This trade punts one of the pics to next years draft and being the pick that Denver just got from OKC, it is likely to be in the early 20s. The move to 40 this season allows the pacers to sign the pick to a 2-way contract and not taking up a normal roster spot, as the 32nd pick would.
Read people. Indiana will get a 1st, least favorable out of those teams listed above. If I’m reading wrong then things are out of control on the fixed part
Nuggets trying to get some cheap contracts to go along with paying Murray Jokic Porter Gordon.
29 I’d take Brandin Podziemski, Jett Howard if they’re there. That or take a chance on Dariq Whitehead.
32 I’d take Leonard Miller or Sidney Cissoko
37 I’d take Terquavion Smith
Id be surprised if Miller even made 29 but 100% id be in on him
I would draft Jackson-Davis, GG Jackson or some PF along with the PG Appleton or something like that they were looking at. They have great scouts. Hire me please
They need to draft a PF, SG and PG in that order.
I expect Calvin Booth types (physical perimeter players) with DEN’s picks, like Braun and Watson last year. He’d probably prefer another late 1st over 32 and 37 to get the RSC’s. I think he’ll be hunting who he wants on draft day. Sasser and Miller defintely fit.