The Nuggets shed salary, swapping Tyson for a future pick.
The Denver Nuggets kept things quiet at the 2026 NBA trade deadline, making just one move before the 3:00 p.m. ET cutoff on Thursday.
Denver dealt forward Hunter Tyson and a 2032 second-round pick to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for the less favorable of the Los Angeles Clippers' and Atlanta Hawks' 2026 second-round picks.
It was a move that had been expected for weeks, but it still carries some meaning for a Nuggets team that is trying to position itself for a deep playoff run.
The deal allows Denver to dip below the luxury tax line and opens up a roster spot that the team plans to use in the coming weeks on the buyout market.
Why Denver Made the Move
The Nuggets were sitting roughly $400,000 above the luxury tax line heading into the deadline, and ownership wanted to avoid paying the repeater tax.
Denver had a few candidates to move, including Zeke Nnaji, Jalen Pickett and Julian Strawther, but Tyson ended up being the best option because he was the most expendable player on the roster and his departure would not hurt the team's nightly rotation.
Tyson, who was the 37th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, never found a steady role in Denver across three seasons.
He appeared in just 90 games total as a Nugget and was averaging 2.2 points and 1.7 rebounds on 26.9 percent shooting in 21 games this season.
His $2.2 million contract made him an easy piece to move in order to save the necessary money, and the Nuggets also managed to swap second-rounders in the deal so they did not have to attach anything of real value to get it done.
Shortly after the trade became official, the Nets waived Tyson, meaning his NBA future is uncertain at this point.
Brooklyn used the deal to add another future asset in the 2032 second-rounder while continuing their rebuild under general manager Sean Marks.
Does This Change Anything for the Nuggets?
In short, not really.
Tyson was not part of Denver's rotation and barely saw the floor in meaningful minutes this season.
The Nuggets sit at 33-19, good for the third seed in the Western Conference, and their core of Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray remains fully intact heading into the stretch run.
Denver has already dealt with bigger challenges this season than losing an end-of-bench forward.
Jokic missed 16 games with a left knee injury, and the team went 10-6 during that stretch thanks to strong play from Murray, Peyton Watson, and the rest of the supporting cast.
Murray is having the best season of his career and earned his first All-Star selection, while Jokic continues to be the frontrunner for another MVP award when healthy.
The Nuggets plan to convert two-way standout Spencer Jones to a standard contract now that a roster spot has opened up, and they also intend to be active on the buyout market.
Jones has been a solid contributor all season and was nearing his two-way eligibility limit, so making him a full roster player was a priority.
That still leaves one open spot for Denver to add a playoff-ready piece once buyout candidates become available over the next couple of weeks.
Meanwhile, the Nets continue to stockpile draft picks and young assets as they look toward the future with a 13-37 record.
Brooklyn already controls Denver's 2032 first-round pick from the Cam Johnson-Michael Porter Jr. swap last summer, and they now own the Nuggets' 2032 second-rounder as well, giving them Denver's entire draft class six years from now.
For Denver, the focus turns back to winning games.
The Nuggets visit the Chicago Bulls on Saturday and still have plenty of work to do before the All-Star break arrives.
It was a small and calculated deadline move, but it got the job done without disrupting a roster that believes it can compete for a championship.