Nuggets Predicted to Land Rising Guard from Kings to Bolster Backcourt

Nuggets Predicted to Land Rising Guard from Kings to Bolster Backcourt originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

It has been a busy offseason for the Denver Nuggets as they have made multiple moves to upgrade their roster after back-to-back second-round playoff exits.

Denver began the offseason by making a shocking trade as they sent Michael Porter Jr. and a 2032 first-round pick to the Brooklyn Nets for Cameron Johnson.

By making that trade, Denver opened up cap space for them to sign both Bruce Brown and Tim Hardaway Jr. while also adding a three-point sharpshooter in Johnson.

With these moves, many around the NBA believe the Nuggets have the best shot at dethroning the Oklahoma City Thunder next season with Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray leading the way.

Despite this, Denver could look to upgrade their backcourt depth before the start of next season and Sports Illustrated’s Rohan Raman recently released a mock trade that would land the Nuggets Keon Ellis from the Sacramento Kings.

Nuggets predicted to acquire Keon Ellis from Kings

In the trade, the Nuggets would send Zeke Nnaji, Peyton Watson and a 2031 first-round pick to the Kings for Ellis and Terence Davis.

Denver would also send Julian Strawther to the Atlanta Hawks for a 2029 second-round pick.

While this trade may be a solid one for the Nuggets, it is unlikely to happen as the Kings have shown no interest in trading away Ellis this offseason as they see him as a key piece of their future.

Despite this, Sacramento could be tempted by a young forward in Watson along with a first-round pick and there is no doubt that Ellis would be a great addition to Denver’s bench to help upgrade their backcourt depth.

Of course, Ellis is a great defender and would pair well alongside Brown in the second unit as two players who can guard multiple positions.

The 25-year-old has also improved on the offensive end every season of his career, especially last season where he averaged a career-high 8.3 points per game while shooting 48.9% from the field and 43.3% from three.

While Ellis would be a solid addition to the Nuggets’ bench and would also give them another young player to help them in the future, the Kings have been unwilling to move on from him this summer and it would likely cost a larger trade package for Denver to acquire him.

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 8, 2025, where it first appeared.