Nuggets trade prediction ships Jamal Murray for $285M Finals MVP to pair with Nikola Jokic

The NBA trade market has been a whirlwind over the last couple of weeks, starting with Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Milwaukee Bucks finally found a trade partner for their franchise star in a move that shattered relationships.

The Boston Celtics were close to shopping Jaylen Brown for Antetokounmpo. This was the second time over the last few years that the Celtics were willing to move Brown.

“Celtics president Brad Stevens has not actively shopped Brown in trade talks, sources said, but the franchise has now offered Brown twice for future Hall of Famers over the past four offseasons,” ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania wrote.

While it seems like the relationship between the Celtics and Brown is slowly deteriorating, that isn’t the same sentiment Brad Stevens is expressing publicly. According to Stevens, Brown clearly understands the situation and is not upset by it.

“They can afford to be patient with the process, and team president Brad Stevens said on Tuesday he has been in consistent communication with Brown throughout the offseason and he can “empathize” with the difficulty of a player having his name in rumors. The assumption that Brown is ticked off because of all the chatter is not likely accurate,” Sean Deveney of Heavy reported.

CBS Sports’ Brad Botkin believes the Denver Nuggets and Celtics could explore a swap involving Jamal Murray and Brown.

“But I'll still say the Nuggets. Nikola Jokić's potential free agency is hanging over that franchise and they don't have a lot of ways to get meaningfully better. I am not that sure that a Jamal Murray-Brown swap really changes the Nuggets' fortunes, and Denver would be hurting for ball-handling. But Brown is probably a better player than Murray and a front line of Jokic, Brown and Aaron Gordon is pretty damn formidable,” Botkin wrote.

Such a move would give Jokic another reason to remain with the Nuggets instead of exploring free agency when the time comes. Brown is a true scorer and playmaker, offering more versatility than Murray provides.

Brown is currently on a $285 million max contract with the Celtics. A potentially strained relationship between Brown and Boston could present the Nuggets with a prime opportunity to make a move. This deal would give both sides a star player who could reshape their respective futures.

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