The Denver Nuggets are still a problem in the Western Conference with Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr., and Aaron Gordon at the core. But after last season’s second-round exit and current offseason activity, word is that they may not be as dominant.
And while Denver didn’t do much this summer, teams like the Dallas Mavericks, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Minnesota Timberwolves are catching up fast. Whether the Nuggets can avoid a repeat of last season is uncertain, but as renowned NBA analyst Brian Windhorst notes, if the Nuggets crash out early again, the team might be due for a major shakeup.
As transcribed by Jesse Cinquini of Ahn Fire Digital:
“If they lose in a similar round like a second round again this year, this feels like the year where if that happens, the next season something big is gonna change,” Lowe said of the Nuggets. “I don’t know what it is. I just know this core is enormously expensive. Aaron Gordon is gonna soon be up for a big extension that will give him a bigger salary number. The bench is young and untested. There are more questions than there really should be about a team that was the no-brainer favorite to win the West last season and fell two rounds short of where they wanted to get. If they don’t get where they need to get this season, I think something there is gonna change.”
Right now, a lot would have to go wrong for the Nuggets to consider breaking up their core. But if they were to reconsider their approach, one intriguing option, as proposed by Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey, is a trade for Miami Heat veteran Jimmy Butler. While Windhorst predicted a major shakeup at the end of the season, Bailey’s suggestion could see Denver making a bold move much sooner.
Per Bleacher Report:
Nuggets receive: Jimmy Butler and Alec Burks
Heat receive: Michael Porter Jr., Peyton Watson, Julian Strawther, Zeke Nnaji and a 2031 first-round pick swap
