The Denver Nuggets are staring at a salary crunch that could force some tough decisions before long.
As things stand, Denver’s payroll for the 2026-27 season is about $3.15 million above the NBA’s second-apron luxury tax threshold, which means a trade will eventually be on the table if the Nuggets want to get back under that line. The question is which player gets moved, and how aggressively the team wants to cut salary.
That issue already surfaced last season, when the Nuggets dealt Michael Porter Jr. as part of their effort to get away from the luxury tax line. They finished the job with a Hunter Tyson trade at the deadline. If they go down that road again this season to reset their “repeater clock” status - avoiding the luxury tax in two of four rolling seasons to reduce the tax penalty rate - the fallout could get messy.
Here’s how the likely trade candidates stack up, starting with the most likely.
Julian Strawther looks like the easiest name to circle. The 29th pick in the 2023 NBA Draft still has real offensive upside, but his contract situation makes him the most movable piece on the roster.
Denver has not extended his rookie deal, so he is on an expiring contract and will make $4.8 million. Trading him would leave the Nuggets about $1.7 million of room.
That path would also give Denver a way to keep the roster legal under the second-apron mark of $221.6 million. The Nuggets could convert rookie second-round pick Bryce Hopkins from his two-way contract to a standard deal to fill the open spot. They could also wait until the trade deadline to move Strawther and then bring in a veteran on a prorated contract, as long as the final number stays under the threshold.
Zeke Nnaji is the next logical possibility, but he would be a much tougher salary to move. His contract is described as player-friendly, which means Denver would likely need to attach draft capital to get a deal done.
Nnaji is owed $7.4 million in both 2026-27 and 2027-28, and he has a player option that he will certainly exercise. If the Nuggets can unload him, they would have about $4.25 million left to replace his roster spot, which would leave enough room to sign a veteran free agent.
Cameron Johnson is the cleanest answer if Denver decides it wants to duck the luxury tax entirely. He was the player many expected to be moved this past offseason to keep the Nuggets within striking distance of the second apron, but Peyton Watson ended up being the one shipped out instead. Johnson still makes the most sense if Denver tries to avoid the tax for a second straight season and reset its repeater status.
The financial picture matters here. The aprons and the luxury tax are calculated a little differently, with incentives included in apron math.
For tax purposes, the Nuggets are at $219.2 million, which puts them about $18.8 million over the $200.4 million luxury tax line. Johnson is on the books for $23 million this season, so moving him for no salary back would reset the repeater clock and still leave enough room to sign a veteran minimum player or elevate Hopkins from his two-way deal.
Then there’s the nuclear option: Aaron Gordon. Nobody in Denver wants to talk about that one, but if the Nuggets are stumbling and look bad by the trade deadline, Gordon could become the kind of move that reshapes everything. He is in the first year of his new contract and will make $31.9 million, and even with injury concerns, he still carries strong value around the league.
Bleacher Report recently ranked Gordon as the ninth most likely player to be traded this season, which is hardly reassuring for a fan base that has come to view him as the de facto team leader. A deal involving Gordon would bring major cap flexibility for 2027-28 and would also reset the tax clock.
For now, though, the hope in Denver is that this stays theoretical and that the Nuggets spend the season fighting for a top seed in the Western Conference instead of weighing whether to move Mr. Nugget.
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