Kiz: The easy answer is: All of them. The problem? The Nuggets can’t even find a sucker to take JaVale McGee, their $11 million center seen more often on Twitter than the basketball court. While no player on this roster is untouchable, I have a healthy man crush on Jusuf Nurkic. The Bosnian Bear loves his mother’s cooking back in Bosnia more than hanging out in New York for the NBA’s All-Star Weekend. And point guard Ty Lawson has too much value to give away now for some first-round draft pick in 2018. So the next Denver player to be traded should be …
Hooch: Kenneth Faried! He promised us his Team USA experience last summer would make him a leader. He vowed to play accountable basketball, learning to play for coach Brian Shaw while earning his hefty new contract. And yet this is a leaderless Nuggets team, and he’s just crazy inconsistent. It’s maddening, really. Faried could/will be a valuable cog on a contending team somewhere down the line, but his lackluster defense and his losing attitude are hurting the Nuggets. And why should he be the next player traded? Because other than Lawson, he probably has the most value.
Kiz: Among the unfinished symphony of errors in play for the Nuggets this season, the biggest clunker was the reacquisition of shooting guard Arron Afflalo. Why go back to the future of a first-round playoff exit? Afflalo can’t be a starter for a legit contender. He could, however, be a useful role player for a franchise with championship aspirations. So I say shop Afflalo until a trade drops before the deadline.
Hooch: How funny is this debate — not who should they trade, but, assuming they should trade all non-Bosnians, who they should trade next? What a debacle. I’m with you on Nurkic; I love his heart and swagger. Sure, he gets a foul just by checking into the game, but it’s time to give him more minutes.
Kiz: And it’s time to put Danilo Gallinari back in the starting lineup to determine if he can work the kinks out of his game or if his bad-luck history of injury has permanently damaged his career. Let Gallo play 30 minutes per night at small forward, move Wilson Chandler to shooting guard, and who knows? The Nuggets might create value in the trade market for Gallinari and Chandler as the action around draft day heats up.
Hooch: Exactly — draft day is the best day to move guys. Some fans suggest the Nuggets should consider firing general manager Tim Connelly. I say no, and here’s why: Just like Shaw was judged from November to February (and now could be fired), Connelly should be judged from the trade deadline through draft night, the latter when every team is wheeling and dealing. Let’s give him a chance to revamp the roster. Starting with Faried.