The Denver Nuggets are poised to be one of the biggest sellers ahead of Thursday's NBA trade deadline. Nuggets veterans Arron Afflalo and Wilson Chandler reportedly have been drawing the most interest the Portland Trail Blazers, the Charlotte Hornets and the Chicago Bulls.
A rebuild in Denver appears imminent, enough so that the front office is reportedly fielding offers for almost any player on their roster. Afflalo and Chandler appear to be the two most likely Nuggets to be moved before Thursday night, with Basketball Insiders' Steve Kyler naming Portland, Charlotte and Chicago as potential suitors.
"The Nuggets are not fire selling the roster, but they are absolutely open for business and looking at deals," Kyler wrote Tuesday. "Let's start with Chandler and Afflalo; the Portland Trail Blazers and Charlotte Hornets have expressed interest in acquiring either player, with Chandler said to be Portland's prime target, while Afflalo is Charlotte's prime guy. The Chicago Bulls were said to be sniffing at both players as well, but may not be willing to deal anything that matters, putting them in the third chair on a deal."
Charlotte and Portland's interest in Afflalo and Chandler has been previously reported by both ESPN and Yahoo Sports. According to reports from ESPN and Sam Smith of Bulls.com, Afflalo appears to have the greatest chance of being moved.
Denver purportedly is seeking future first-round draft picks for either Afflalo or Chandler. As Kyler pointed out, teams seem hesistant to give up a first-rounder for Afflalo's contract since he has a player option for next season. Because Afflalo has the option to walk as a free agent in the summer, he can essentially veto any trade by making it known to the team he won't stick around after this season.
Nuggets guard Ty Lawson has also been mentioned in trade rumors, but Kyler doesn't believe any team will be able to pull it off.
