With Nikola Jokic in his prime, the Nuggets’ goal should be a championship at the start of every season. They didn’t get there this year, and they set themselves up for that failure by taking a clear step back with their moves last summer.
General manager Calvin Booth and head coach Michael Malone both shockingly lost their jobs towards the end of the regular season as that reality began to sink in. The Nuggets were a great team, but anything less than the best is not good enough when you have a talent like Jokic on your roster.
This team will hire a new lead decision-maker soon who will have to hit the ground running. Here are the key decisions for the Nuggets, and how they get better.
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Nuggets free agency guide
The Nuggets are an expensive team that will bring back the same roster and be in the tax again next year barring any major trades. They won’t have cap space to sign any free agents, but they will have the $5.7 million taxpayer mid-level exception (TPMLE) to try and add one back-end rotation piece if they want.
They desperately need more shooting on the floor. They also need a backup big man for the regular season to preserve Jokic. They had the same issues last year and used that TPMLE slot to sign Dario Saric, who turned out to be unplayable.
Myles Turner or Naz Reid would be perfect for the Nuggets. They don’t have enough money to sign either player, but they could try to sign-and-trade for them. That would involve sending out some of their own players and assets in return.
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Some cheaper, more realistic free agent targets exist. Could veterans Brook Lopez, Steven Adams, Kevon Looney, or Al Horford come at a discount to try and win a championship? It’s unrealistic but not impossible. Luke Kornet could definitely help this team. Andre Drummond is coming off a bad year, but he’s a good rebounder and can soak up backup minutes.
The Nuggets will face decisions on bringing back Saric if he declines his $5.4 million player option (unlikely) and Westbrook if he declines his $3.5 million option. DeAndre Jordan will also be a free agent.
Nuggets trades: Will Michael Porter Jr., Jamal Murray get moved?
Murray’s four-year, $208 million maximum deal kicks in next year. He started the year out disappointingly, but he played better as the season wore on. He’s probably sticking around this summer.
Porter battled through a shoulder injury that limited his effectiveness. He has had several disappointing playoff series. He would be the most likely player moved to try and upgrade the roster. He even insinuated as much at the start of the season, telling ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne in November that “if we don’t win it this year, we all know they might have to break it up.”
A Porter trade could be hampered by owernship’s feelings towards the Missouri grad, according to reporting from The Stein Line’s Jake Fischer back in April. The Kroenkes are also alumni of the school and have a strong sentimental attachment to him.
Despite that relationship, Porter makes the most sense as a trade target because of his $38.3 million owed next season. He hasn’t met that level of production, and the Nuggets will be under salary-matching restrictions in trades. If they want to bring a starter-level player back, then his salary almost has to be used.
The Nuggets don’t have much to offer in any trade. After the draft, they will have their 2032 first- and second-round picks available to move. They will not make any selections in the 2025 draft.
MORE: Why Nikola Jokic gets SN’s Playoer of the Year award over Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Nuggets overall outlook
Denver isn’t in a fantastic place when it comes to improving itself. They can’t do it through the draft, they can only make very minor tweaks in free agency, and they don’t have much to offer in trades because of how many picks they’ve already moved.
The best avenue towards improvement may be to hope that their younger players can get better. Christian Braun made a huge leap this season. Julian Strawther and Peyton Watson had moments where they looked like they could stay on the floor in the playoffs. Those players will have to become more consistent, or be traded for veterans that can contribute immediately.
Interim coach David Adelman may also get some more juice out of this group. He went a perfect 3-0 in the regular season after taking over for Malone, and he made some nice playoff adjustments throughout their two-series run. He deserves to take that interim tag taken off.
