Denver is looking to remain a contender, but that road is an expensive one.
The Nuggets have been among the best teams in the league for most of the past half-decade, but their ability to remain in that top tier of the league is only getting trickier. This offseason, the Nuggets certainly took a step in the right direction, adding Cam Johnson, Jonas Valanciunas and others to try and address some of the key problems the team has been facing.
With Nikola Jokic at the helm, the Nuggets are almost certainly going to be a contender. Of course, that means the Nuggets need to do everything they can to keep the Serbian star happy, which could be easier said than done.
Denver can’t afford to lose Jokic
Next offseason, the Nuggets will have a chance to give Jokic an extension, effectively securing his services in Denver for the rest of his prime. However, as Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus recently pointed out, any missteps by the Nuggets next season could put that in jeopardy and make their cap situation even more dire.
Along with a potential Jokic extension, Pincus explained that Denver could also be looking at an extension for Christian Braun, adding on to the big paydays that Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon and Johnson have already received.
Considering that the Nuggets’ depth has been a key issue throughout the past couple of seasons, committing this much to the starting lineup could make those issues prevalent again in the near future, making Denver’s situation one of the most concerning in the NBA.
