The Denver Nuggets made a slick move by trading Peyton Watson to dodge the NBA's tax aprons. It didn't cost them assets, and in fact, they got one out of the whole ordeal. However, they are still above the NBA's second tax apron. They have until the NBA Trade Deadline in February to get under it, and the Utah Jazz just might be able to help them get past it.
However, they won't do their division rival any favors with no strings attached. Someone who would have a lot of appeal to the Jazz is Cameron Johnson, who is coming off a down year but is still a two-way player who would be of great service to a team that will inevitably have some defensive question marks.
When considering his not-so-great season, Denver's desperation, and his expiring contract, there may not be a better time to get someone like Johnson while the opportunity is right there. This idea has been brought up before, though it's not as simple as it sounds.
What also works against Denver is that teams will want to take advantage of what they're doing. The Jazz have expendable assets to offer, which could work in their favor if they have their eye on someone like Johnson.
This is where the Walker Kessler TPE comes in handy
Denver has time to weigh their options, and Utah can use that if they decide that they must trade Johnson before the deadline passes. They can do this by absorbing a contract via the Walker Kessler TPE.
The Kessler trade got them a TPE worth a little over $15 million, which they can use, though they can't utilize it in full unless they trade someone else away in the deal. That might still be worth it if the end game is still Johnson.
The Jazz could then use whoever they acquire in a deal like that to then dangle in a deal down the line with the Nuggets. It may not be a straight up swap, as they may have to find a third team to take a player Utah acquired with the Kessler TPE and they would get Johnson, but Danny Ainge knows how to tie up the loose ends about as well as anyone.
It will also depend on how bad the Jazz's defense will truly be when the season rolls around. There are question marks, but that doesn't necessarily mean they'll be bad on that end. They may see Johnson as an improvement, but they have reason to trot out their current rotation before doing anything too drastic.
This idea is more just to keep in mind as we get better feel of what the Jazz are and how high their ceiling is. If Utah were to think about this, it would be because they think they are capable of doing some damage and that Johnson would help them do as much as possible.
If that's how things turn out, then something like this would look better and better by the day.
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