NBA Trade Rumors: Nuggets could face potential roadblock in reuniting with $23 million Raptors guard

The Denver Nuggets aren't that far removed from being NBA champions. They were hoisting the Larry O'Brien trophy less than two years ago, but they have lost some major players from that title run. One such piece is guard Bruce Brown Jr., who plays for the Toronto Raptors.

The Raptors are reportedly willing to trade Brown Jr., which works in favor of Denver, who wants to reunite with the scrappy guard. However, the Nuggets appear to have run into an obstacle in the form of Zeke Nnaji.

Denver is reportedly seeking to make room for Brown Jr. by offloading Nnaji to another team. However, per insider Brett Seigel, no team has expressed interest in taking on his contract.

Jake Fischer initially reported that the Toronto Raptors are willing to part ways with Bruce Brown Jr. On Monday's edition of The Stein Line, Fischer said that Toronto could trade him.

Brown's contract could be bought out if a trade does not happen.

Bruce Brown Jr. is entering the final year of his contract, which is worth $23 million this season. In the summer of 2023, after clinching a championship with the Nuggets, he signed a two-year, $45 million deal with the Indiana Pacers.

His stint in Indiana did not last, as he was one of the assets traded to the Raptors in January 2024 in exchange for Pascal Siakam.

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The Denver Nuggets nearly traded for Zach LaVine but Zeke Nnaji's contract became an obstacle

Following reports that the Chicago Bulls were looking to trade All-Star guard Zach LaVine, the Denver Nuggets emerged as a potential landing spot. However, nothing came of these talks and LaVine remains a member of the Bulls and a prominent name in the trade market.

Per reports, the trade talks failed because the Bulls were unwilling to take on Zeke Nnaji's contract.

Zeke Nnaji is in the first year of a four-year deal worth $32 million.

Nnaji's playing time and performance have dropped this year. He has decreased from averaging 12.4 minutes per game over his first four seasons to just 4.4 minutes in 25 games this season.

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How did Bruce Brown Jr. perform when he was with the Denver Nuggets

Bruce Brown Jr. only played for one season in Denver (2022-23) but had a massive impact on the team and the fans. He averaged 11.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 80 regular season games where he mostly came off the bench.

In the 2023 Playoffs, he put up 12.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 1.9 apg and 1.1 spg in 20 games. His performance was instrumental in Denver's title run. As such, it isn't hard to see why the Nuggets want to reunite with him.