While the Nuggets have had internal discussions about whether they have the requisite assets to trade for Jaylen Brown, they’re not currently viewed as a “bonafide landing spot” for the Celtics‘ star wing, sources tell Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link).

As Stein and Fischer write, the Nuggets are attempting to thread a difficult needle of upgrading their roster around Nikola Jokic and re-signing restricted free agent Peyton Watson. While the team is confident it will be able to keep Watson, there’s a growing sense that the team might have to trade “at least one” starter to do so.

Aaron Gordon has drawn the most trade interest of the non-Jokic starters to this point, per Stein and Fischer, but the Nuggets seem to want to keep Gordon and Jamal Murray, preferring instead to trade either Cameron Johnson or Christian Braun.

According to Stein and Fischer, Jonas Valaniunas is not expected to return next season and that may apply to Tim Hardaway Jr. as well.

Here’s more from Stein and Fischer’s latest round-up of NBA rumors:

The Raptors are “bracing” for backup forward/center Sandro Mamukelashvili to test the open market in free agency, sources tell The Stein Line. Toronto still hopes to re-sign Mamukelashvili before league-wide free agency opens on June 30, Stein and Fischer clarify, but the Georgian big man is expected to draw interest from multiple teams for a significant chunk of the non-taxpayer mid-level exception, which projects to be worth about $15MM next season.
The Nets and Spurs are among the teams with interest in free agent forward Rui Hachimura, Stein and Fischer report. The 28-year-old averaged 11.5 points on .514/.443/.694 shooting splits in 68 games (28.3 minutes per contest) with the Lakers last season.
Magic center Moritz Wagner is another player who could change teams, according to Stein and Fischer, who say the German big man has signaled a willingness to leave Orlando and is expected to have multiple suitors on the open market.
The Hawks explored a trade for Mavericks center Daniel Gafford ahead of the February deadline, but were only willing to part with second-round picks to acquire him, sources tell Stein and Fischer. According to The Stein Line, the Mavs attempted to land a first-round pick in a trade involving Gafford prior to this week’s draft, but were unsuccessful in those efforts.
Maccabi Tel Aviv shooting guard Lonnie Walker IV could return to the NBA this summer, according to Stein, who reports (via Twitter) that the Walker is expected to have some NBA suitors this offseason. The 27-year-old has an NBA opt out until July 15, Stein adds. Walker’s last NBA stint came in 2024/25, when he spent the final two months of that season with the Sixers.