It was a disappointing end to last season for the Denver Nuggets as they were eliminated by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs despite being the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference.
Because of this, the Nuggets entered the offseason looking to bolster their roster around Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon as they try to keep pace with the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder in the West.
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Denver has had a busy offseason thus far as the team signed DeMar DeRozan and Marvin Bagley III in free agency, though they also lost Peyton Watson, Jonas Valanciunas and Tim Hardaway Jr.
With the Nuggets losing key players in free agency, they may turn to the trade market to replenish their roster ahead of the 2026-27 season, with the backcourt being one area they could look to upgrade.
Mock Trade Lands Nuggets Jrue Holiday, Scoot Henderson From Trail Blazers
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If Denver does decide to do this, they could target Jrue Holiday and Scoot Henderson from the Portland Trail Blazers.
In a potential trade, the Nuggets could send a package of Cameron Johnson, Christian Braun and Zeke Nnaji to the Trail Blazers in exchange for Holiday, Henderson and a 2028 first-round pick.
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By making this move, the Nuggets would have to make a tough decision and move on from two key pieces of their rotation in Braun and Johnson, though they would upgrade their backcourt while also adding a valuable first-round pick.
Holiday would provide the Nuggets with a two-time champion who would give them another reliable ball handler alongside Murray in the backcourt, add solid scoring and upgrade Denver’s defense.
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Last season, the 36-year-old guard averaged 16.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.0 steals per game while shooting 45.1% from the field and 37.8% from three.
The Nuggets would also acquire a key young guard in Henderson who could use a change of scenery, especially with him competing for minutes in Portland with the team’s plethora of guard depth.
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Of course, Henderson was the third overall pick in the 2023 draft and while he has yet to live up to the hype surrounding him entering the NBA, he has shown flashes in limited playing time over his first three seasons, with injuries being a major reason for his limited availability.
While this trade could work well for the Nuggets, they may also elect to keep their current core together heading into the new season, while the Trail Blazers could also choose to keep Holiday and Henderson on their roster despite their immense amount of guard depth.
