Booth admits Nuggets dangled Nnaji, Saric at trade deadline

Denver Nuggets general manager Calvin Booth said he tried to use forwards Zeke Nnaji and Dario Saric, as well as draft capital, to attempt to bolster the team's lineup at the trade deadline.

"I think we liked everything that was happening in our rotation. ... We weren't close to doing anything with anybody in our rotation," Booth said Friday, according to DNVR Nuggets. "It was going to be some of the guys outside of it like Dario and Zeke, and using some of our draft assets to bolster our lineup as opposed to moving a bigger guy like (Michael Porter Jr.)."

The Nuggets were one of four teams that didn't make a trade leading up to or at the deadline, along with the Portland Trail Blazers, Orlando Magic, and Minnesota Timberwolves.

Nnaji has been on the fringes of the rotation for most of the season. In 31 games, he's averaged a career-low 1.9 points and one rebound in 6.6 minutes per contest. The Nuggets signed the former Arizona big man to a four-year, $32-million contract in 2023.

Saric inked a two-year, $10.6-million contract with Denver over the summer. The 30-year-old has averaged 3.8 points and 3.6 rebounds in 13 games this campaign, but has not appeared in the team's last 12 games.

The Nuggets are 33-19 this season, putting them third in the Western Conference. They face the Phoenix Suns on Saturday.