The Denver Nuggets are no doubt familiar with the notion that the NBA trade market is driven by contract status and expiring deals, so why not get an early look at the field by exploring the top free agents for 2012 with SB Nation's Tom Ziller? He took a look at the top-65 players likely to be available heading into 2012, and a few Denver Nuggets players made appearances:
11. Danilo Gallinari (restricted): Gallinari is one of the league's best young shooters, just a killer scorer who could end up with a Peja Stojakovic-like career, if he gets the right parts around him. Consider that his professional point guards have been Chris Duhon and Raymond Felton. He has Andre Miller and Ty Lawson full-time this season. Get ready for fun.
19. Andre Miller: ... and Miller will be the poor man's Kidd, making him the poor man's poor man's Nash. Actually, Miller is like the yang to Kidd's yin, wherein Nash is the yin and yang together, at peace. Miller's self-described old man game involves getting buckets and setting up teammates; he's the quintessential "coach on the floor" that teams love to add.
49. Rudy Fernandez (restricted): This is Fernandez's make-or-break NBA season. Luckily for him, the Nuggets are without J.R. Smith. Rudy should wear a J.R. Smith disguise and see what he can get away with.
How the team fares in the early going should help decide whether the team commits big money to Gallinari and if they trade Andre Miller prior to the deadline. It should be fun to watch this market develop relative to the Nuggets.
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