2 players Nuggets must trade to help Nikola Jokic get back to NBA Finals

When the 2025–26 season started, the Denver Nuggets looked like they could win the title. A 12-game winning streak to close the regular season, the No. 3 seed in the West, and a roster bolstered by an aggressive offseason, everything pointed toward an extended playoff run. Instead, they were bounced in the first round by an injury-ravaged Minnesota Timberwolves squad that was missing multiple key players, including star Anthony Edwards. Nikola Jokic, one of the best players in the world and a three-time MVP, is going to have to spend another summer without making it to the Finals. This is embarrassing, and things need to change. It all starts with making two very difficult trades.

Jokic himself was direct after the Game 6 loss. When asked how far the team was from contending again, he didn’t sugarcoat it: “I, we lost in first round so I think we are far away.” That kind of self-awareness from your franchise cornerstone should serve as a wake-up call for the front office. The Nuggets won their only championship in 2023, and since then the window has slowly been creaking shut. Two players, in particular, are standing in the way of meaningful change: Aaron Gordon and Cam Johnson.

Aaron Gordon: Time to Move On from “Mr. Nugget”

Nobody wants to say it. Gordon is beloved in Denver. He’s been nicknamed “Mr. Nugget,” and his energy and toughness have been a cornerstone of the team’s identity since his arrival. But the hard truth is that at age 30, with three years and $103 million remaining on his contract, Gordon has become a luxury this roster can no longer afford, especially when he can’t stay on the floor.

This postseason told the story. Gordon missed Games 5 and 6 against the Timberwolves due to a lingering calf injury and was limited in Game 4 as well. He shot just 40% from the field in the series and a miserable 21.4% from three-point range. And this isn’t a one-time thing, Gordon has been battling soft tissue injuries for the better part of two years, playing just 36 games in the 2025-26 regular season. When you can’t count on your fourth-highest-paid player to suit up when it matters most, you have a major roster construction problem.

The Nuggets can use Gordon’s $103 million over three years as real trade leverage to land a legitimate, healthy difference-maker who could genuinely complement Jokic. Whether it’s a rim-protecting center, a playmaking wing, or a versatile defender who can actually play in May, Gordon’s contract is the biggest chip Denver has to work with this summer. It doesn’t matter how sentimental you are about keeping “Mr. Nugget,” Jokic is 31 and time is running out.

Cam Johnson: A Costly Bet That Hasn’t Paid Off

When the Nuggets traded Michael Porter Jr. to Brooklyn for Cam Johnson last offseason, the idea was to upgrade the team’s two-way play and create some financial flexibility. Johnson was supposed to be the premier defensive wing this team desperately needed, a reliable scorer who could defend at a high level without Porter’s chronic injury baggage. The plan made sense on paper. In practice, it’s been a letdown at the worst possible time.

Through the first three games of the Timberwolves series, Johnson shot just 3-for-16 from three-point range and scored just six points in the pivotal Game 3 loss. He did show flashes, including 27 points in the must-win Game 6, but the inconsistency was glaring all season long. Johnson averaged just 12.2 points per game in the regular season for Denver, well below his 18.8 PPG output the previous year with Brooklyn. The Nuggets essentially gave up a high-upside offensive player for someone who couldn’t replicate even a fraction of the offensive production expected of him.

Johnson’s struggles in the playoffs made Denver miss Porter in a major way, especially with Jokic simultaneously going through the worst shooting stretch of his playoff career. Johnson does have trade value, teams around the league view him as a legitimate 3-and-D wing, and Denver should absolutely leverage that this offseason. Moving Johnson in a package deal could allow the Nuggets to address their most pressing need: a consistent secondary scorer who can take heat off Jokic and operate without the ball in his hands.

The Nuggets are not a bad team. They finished 54-28, won 12 straight to close the regular season, and had legitimate championship aspirations. But finishing the regular season well and winning in May are two entirely different things, and the current roster has proven it cannot do the latter. Trading Gordon and Johnson would be painful, but it’s the kind of decisive offseason action that separates teams who flirt with greatness from teams who actually achieve it. The time to be bold is now, before Jokic’s prime slips away entirely.

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