The Denver Nuggets continue to try to find a way to build around Nikola Jokic. Jokic is the best offensive player in the league, but Denver has struggled to get back to the NBA Finals. Since winning the title in 2023, they haven’t been healthy in the playoffs.
This offseason, Denver didn’t do much until recently. They signed Demar DeRozan and also added Marvin Bagley III. However, they lost some key players, including Peyton Watson. One pundit believes they got significantly worse after an offseason of inaction.
Nuggets Named as Team That Got Worse in the Offseason
According to Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report, Denver is a team that got worse in the offseason. He doesn’t like what the team did in the summer at all.
“The sky isn’t falling for the Denver Nuggets just yet. Nikola Jokić is still the best player in the NBA, and Jamal Murray is coming off the best season of his career. For a team that’s struggled to build depth and defense around their stars for years, however, this summer was a major step back,” Swartz wrote.
Adding DeRozan gives them someone who has been durable throughout his entire career, but he is not a good outside shooter, which the team needs around Jokic. Losing Tim Hardaway Jr. off the bench was ideal for them, as he showed he can still clearly hit long-distance shots at a solid clip.
Part of the reason why the Nuggets didn’t make many moves is the financial situation they are in. They are hamstrung by their spending, and they didn’t have enough money to re-sign Watson to the contract he wanted. They are currently in the second apron of the luxury tax.
If anything, Denver might look to shed some salary at the trade deadline. Adding more guys who would add to what is already an extremely expensive luxury tax bill is not something that ownership wanted to do. Now, they have to figure out a way to balance their finances.
Denver Still Has One Key Way to Compete for a Championship
The only way for the Nuggets to have a real chance to win a title is for them to stay healthy in the playoffs. Not having Aaron Gordon with the team during playoff games has crushed any hope they have had of making a deep run. Gordon is key to what they want to do.
Since trading for Gordon, he has been fully healthy for just one playoff run. That was the year that they won the title. They clearly cannot count on him being healthy at that point of the season, which is part of the reason they went after DeRozan. They need more offensive options.
Jokic may have to carry this team on his back yet again. Jamal Murray needs to have an All-Star-caliber season to give them some injury insurance, as well.
Nuggets’ Offseason Given Harsh Reality Check by Pundit