In the dizzying hours following Tuesday night’s four-team mega trade, which sent Malik Beasley, Juancho Hernangomez and Jarred Vanderbilt to Minnesota, in exchange for Houston’s first-round pick and a handful of Timberwolves role players, it was impossible not to consider what else Denver had planned.
Would that first-round pick, initially sent to Minnesota and then re-routed to Denver, yield something greater? The role players — guard Shabazz Napier, forward Keita Bates-Diop, forward Noah Vonleh and Houston guard Gerald Green (who was expected to be waived soon) — seemed mildly redundant. The Nuggets already had strong backups at both point guard (Monte Morris) and center (Mason Plumlee).