The Nuggets are facing a crucial offseason as they look to keep building a championship team around star Nikola Jokic. Choosing the right general manager will be a critical first step, as they will have important roster decisions to make, but the decisions don’t end there.
Avoiding the second tax apron will likely be a priority for the Nuggets as they weigh roster moves, writes Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. The team let Kentavious Caldwell-Pope leave in free agency last summer to avoid the second apron, and Durando warns not to expect a change in that mentality this summer, especially with Aaron Gordon‘s and Jamal Murray‘s extensions set to kick in and Jokic becoming extension-eligible in July.
The Nuggets can aggregate salaries in a trade and have one future first-round pick available for deals, but their depth proved problematic throughout the year, making a two-for-one deal a dicey proposition.
Christian Braun and Peyton Watson are also extension-eligible. While Watson will likely be a wait-and-see candidate, Braun established himself as a solid starter in the league this year and was a top-five finisher in Most Improved Player voting this season. His extension candidacy will be an interesting case to monitor, according to Durando.
Russell Westbrook also has a player option this summer, and while his time on the floor proved an up-and-down experience, he helped provide stability at times, especially when Gordon missed games.
Durando identifies center depth, on-ball perimeter defense, and three-point shooting as the crucial areas to address this summer, and at least one of those issues could be solved by Denver’s reported interest in Ty Jerome, though Jerome’s rising price tag and the club’s lack of financial flexibility could make that a tricky match. Durando also poses the question of whether the Nuggets involving Murray or Michael Porter Jr. that would upgrade the roster.
We have more from the Nuggets:
- Denver running it back would be a waste of Jokic’s prime, writes Troy Renck of the Denver Post. Renck argues that, while vice chairman Josh Kroenke said the right things during his press conference, relying on internal improvements won’t be enough to bring Denver back to contention. This is especially true given the injury issues that have popped up as the Nuggets’ core has aged.
- Jokic’s season was ranked as the 10th-best year ever by a non-MVP winner by Frank Urbina of HoopsHype. He was the first non-guard to ever average a triple-double and willed an injured team lacking depth to the fourth seed in the Western Conference. He’s the only player in NBA history to put up a 29/12/10 stat line, Urbina adds. Coincidentally, Jokic’s 2022/23 season, in which he lost out on MVP to Joel Embiid, is ranked one spot behind this one, at 11th.
- Former Nuggets head coach Michael Malone made a stir this week when he referred to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander the MVP before the award was announced. However, he took the time out to correct the record for ESPN. “I did vote for (Jokic) again this year, if I had a vote,” he said before Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals. “Want to make sure the people in Denver know that because, right now, I’m getting a lot of heat back home.”
What a lot of garbage Mr Urbina… I don’t know prior to 1980… but since 1980 no one has had a better season than Jokic this year, regardless if they won the MVP or not!!!
Again Jokic has had the best individual season ever since 1980 onwards… that’s why it’s beyond unfair that he didn’t get the MVP award that he deserved so much… which by the way should be his 5th in a row, as Embiid’s one should have been his as well!
Trade Porter Jr and a few seconds to Washington for Marcus Smart and Richaun Holmes. Add some depth, Denver. Smart fits the culture.
Terrible trade. Their trading there best shooter for a guard that’s constantly injured and Holmes is washed
Expiring contracts. Long term Porter deal off the books. Flip Smart and Holmes for more depth. Either way, they need to turn a large salary player into expiring pieces that can be decent depth. Go in on ’26 while clearing the books long term.
Nuggets need a rethink… new GM might be what they need… but a tight owner makes things hard…
They need depth in the 3 and d department…
They need depth in the center department more. No matter who gets the GM job, they have little to offer in trades to improve the team.
They only question is will Jokic stay, regardless of the mediocrity the team surrounds him with?
Tight owner? They are one of the biggest spenders in the NBA.
Jokic should have won the MVP but he’s won 3 so they gave it to someone else. He should have won 5 in a row really.
I get that they have a depth issue, a lot of contenders do. But they just took the best team in the league to 7 games in the Conference Semis. Running it back is not exactly the worst thing.
Have to get rid of that MPJ contract if they have any hopes of competing and staying below that tax apron.
Both Denver and Milwaukee got lucky they got one championship with their rosters. The Knicks, however, went all in trading all assets for OG, Bridges, and Kat and may never see the Finals. Very disappointing
Trade for Derozen and Trey Lyles or for John Collins.
They won’t trade for anyone who degrades their floor spacing, with the exception of a backup 5, so DeRozan is out.
John Collins does make sense for them. Valencunas too.