A Jimmy Butler trade would've gutted the roster and made the team worse. Butler is not some MJ/Kobe like gunner that takes over games. He's a solid SG that needs other stars to be effective. Jokic wouldn't have been enough and after next season, he would've announced he was testing free agency in 2019. Denver could try to trade him, but the returns would be low. Trey Lyles was acquired because he and Arthur are the exact same player (check their career stats), yet Lyles is 8 years younger and $4.5m cheaper. Arthur will be traded shortly after July 1st to create more cap room, so trading down (saving money on another young project) and acquiring Lyles was actually very smart. The Nuggets are clearing as much cap room as they can to go after free agents. Not the big time FA's, but the second tier FA's like Millsap, Holiday, Teague, and Hill. It's a smart move because the F.O. knows Denver isn't a sexy place for big stars, so they're going after more attainable players.