The Oklahoma City Thunder just handed the Denver Nuggets a blunt reminder about what happens when a team tries to stay under the NBA’s second-apron line without swallowing a massive tax bill.
According to league sources, as reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Thunder sent Lu Dort to the Atlanta Hawks in a three-team deal that brought Oklahoma City three second-round picks. The same move also sent former No. 1 pick Zaccharie Risacher to the Dallas Mavericks and Ryan Nembhard to Atlanta.
For Oklahoma City, the math changed fast. The Thunder entered the offseason buried in luxury-tax pain and were still above the second-apron penalty threshold after a string of moves.
That left them staring at a projected $103 million tax hit. After the Dort deal, that figure has dropped to an estimated $19 million, and they’re now on track to avoid the second apron altogether.
The price, though, was steep in a different way. Dort wasn’t just a spare part.
He was a starter, a key rotation piece, and one of the league’s most recognizable defensive pests. Three second-round picks for that kind of player feels light on paper, but the Thunder were operating in a financial squeeze that clearly forced their hand.
That’s where Denver comes in.
The Nuggets have long carried a reputation for being careful with money. They don’t have a proper practice facility, and during the Nikola Jokic era they’ve only crossed into the luxury tax three times, spending just under $58 million total. So the idea of bringing back both Peyton Watson and Cameron Johnson, while also staring down a tax bill that would dwarf anything they’ve previously paid, looks highly unlikely.
In fact, the pressure may force Denver to move one of those pieces, or even Christian Braun. Unless ownership changes course in a major way, the Nuggets appear headed toward a trade rather than a full-on tax plunge.
That’s why the sign-and-trade chatter around Watson keeps popping up. Denver would rather turn that situation into first-round draft capital than head into next season with an outrageous tax burden. The front office is trying to find the sweet spot between preserving talent and protecting the future.
And after seeing Dort fetch three second-round picks, it’s easier to understand why the Nuggets are at least listening. If Johnson’s market tops out at two or maybe three second-rounders, Denver has a real decision to make as it weighs what it can afford against what it can’t.
The one thing that doesn’t seem likely? The Nuggets simply eating the giant tax bill.
Fans may want that answer. But right now, it looks about as realistic as LeBron James actually picking Denver.
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For a former first-round pick, that kind of opportunity comes with real pressure. Strawther has shown enough offensive upside to make the Nuggets interested in what he can become, and the teams current guard depth means his minutes could matter right away. Denver also has to think ahead with him, since his contractual situation could become part of the conversation before long if the front office wants to keep control of his future. [Read more 🡒]
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Nuggets May Be Headed For A Painful Peyton Watson Decision
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The possibility of a sign-and-trade is now part of the conversation, a sign of how far apart the sides may be and how hard it could be for Denver to bridge the gap. The standoff has drawn comparisons to last years restricted free-agency fight between the Warriors and Jonathan Kuminga, a reminder that these talks can quickly turn from routine business into a much bigger roster decision. [Read more 🡒]