Denver’s Draft Plan Involves Zeke Nnaji and a Pick. Here’s What They’re Trying to Do.

The Denver Nuggets hold the 26th overall pick in Tuesday’s NBA Draft, and they might not be sitting still. According to multiple league sources, the team has been floating a specific trade package built around that first-rounder and forward Zeke Nnaji.

HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto reported that Denver has shown a willingness to discuss a deal that pairs Nnaji’s salary with the No. 26 pick. Nnaji is due $7.47 million next season and holds a player option for the same amount in 2027-28. For a team like Denver that’s staring at the second apron, moving Nnaji’s contract could create some breathing room.

Another name in the mix

It’s not just Nnaji. ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel reported last week that the Nuggets have also been exploring what packaging Cameron Johnson with the 26th pick might get them. Specifically, Denver is looking at moving up into the top 20 of the draft. That would mean attaching Johnson — who’s probably the most likely Nugget to get traded this summer — to a pick in hopes a team bites on the combination.

Still, as Siegel noted, it’s hard to see a team in the 15-20 range giving up its pick just to take on Johnson and a late first-rounder. Johnson is a solid role player but he’s not a needle-mover for a rebuilding squad. And the 26th pick isn’t exactly a franchise cornerstone. So Denver might be aiming for a team that wants to dump salary or is just high on Johnson’s fit.

Either way, the Nuggets are clearly in motion. They’ve got a few paths here: Stay put at 26 and take whoever falls, trade Nnaji for future flexibility, or swing something bigger involving Johnson.

The cap crunch is real

Denver’s cap situation has been the subject of plenty of speculation. Names like Aaron Gordon and Peyton Watson have popped up in trade chatter too, though nothing seems imminent with either of them. The Nuggets are trying to balance keeping their core intact while avoiding the punitive restrictions of the second apron. Moving Nnaji’s $7.47 million might not sound like much, but for a team nickel-and-diming its way under the tax line, it matters.

As for the draft itself, the Nuggets haven’t tipped their hand on who they’d target in the first round. They could go for a wing shooter, a defensive big, or just take the best available player. That decision probably depends on whether they make a trade before the clock starts.

The first round tips off Tuesday night. We’ll know soon enough whether Denver is playing it straight or cooking up something bigger.