The Nuggets were a three-point shooting team to the core in 2025-26. They led the league in three-point shooting percentage in the regular season, and they had two of the top 10 three-point makers in the NBA in Jamal Murray and Tim Hardaway Jr. However, they lacked the athleticism and ability to slash to the hoop, especially against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the playoffs. An underrated, simple swap to bring in Terrance Shannon Jr. could help fix that issue.
Shannon's been placed on a list of potential trade targets for the Nuggets by Dan Favale at Bleacher Report , and it's no surprise that a young, slashing wing who can get downhill in a hurry ends up on the list of targets for the athletically challenged squad.
Shannon showed the Nuggets first-hand the type of downhill talent that he possesses. The Nuggets backcourt and wings looked like bull-fighters against Shannon after he took a spot in the Wolves rotation in Game 5 of the first round, after injuries to Donte DiVicenzo and Anthony Edwards opened the spot for him.
Shannon had 15 points off the bench in the Wolves' loss in Game 5, but he shot 6-10 from the floor, and he was 2-4 from three. But it was his performance as a starter in Game 6 that did the Nuggets in. They had no answer for Shannon's left-handed drives, and he scored 24 points. He was continuously attacking the rim, and he was 8-13 from two point range.
The Nuggets need that out of the wing spots. Bruce Brown and Hardaway aren't slashers, and neither is Christian Braun. Peyton Watson's a slasher, and he was clearly missed against the Timberwolves. The only person who could get to the rim was Cameron Johnson, and he did it well in Game 6, having his best game as a Nugget, but obviously, it wasn't enough.
Who knows if the Timberwolves would take DaRon Holmes for Shannon, but it works in the trade machine, and it would give the Nuggets a player they can play rather than some depth on the end of the bench.
Holmes was drafted with the hopes of being the replacement for the non-Nikola Jokic minutes, but he was injured and missed his first season entirely. Holmes still hasn't come close to cracking the rotation.
Shannon is still a project overall, and his defense and ball-handling aren't the best, but they're solid. At a minimum price, it's worth the shot if the Nuggets were able to pull off the trade flip.
This article was originally published on www.nugglove.com as Underrated trade target could help solve Nuggets missing athleticism .
