The Nuggets could emerge as one of the more important teams on the trade landscape this summer once Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s next team is decided, Marc Stein writes in his latest edition of The Stein Line (subscriber link).

Denver has the unenviable task of trying to continue to put the best contender possible around star Nikola Jokic while dealing with a difficult financial situation that will likely cause them to lose at least one of their core players.

Veteran forward Aaron Gordon has emerged as the most sought-after trade target on the roster, Stein writes, despite the injuries that have limited him to just 87 games over the last two regular seasons.

Gordon’s combination of versatile, hard-nosed defense, strong off-ball offensive play, and reliably solid outside shooting makes him an ideal fit for most contenders, but those same traits are exactly why the Nuggets would prefer to retain him.

Gordon has developed a strong two-man game with Jokic over the years and has become one of Jokic’s favorite passing targets due to his great instincts as a cutter. Gordon is starting the first season of a three-year, $103.6MM extension, which has a player option in year three.

The Nuggets would also like to hold onto Jamal Murray, who is coming off the strongest season of his career, and instead would prefer to send out 25-year-old wing Christian Braun in any starting lineup trade.

Braun took a slight step back after signing a five-year, $125MM extension last summer, mostly due to his struggles from deep. He shot 30.1% from three this season after hitting 38.4% over his previous three years. He is a strong defender and transition threat and young enough that there is still interesting upside for a team that needs reliable wing play.