NBA Swing: Did the Denver Nuggets Fail to Become a Dynasty?

Read Time:4 Minute, 10 Second

Just over a year ago, the Denver Nuggets found themselves winning the first championship in the franchise’s history. Nikola Jokic would show why he was Finals MVP with a dominating Finals run while Jamal Murray showed why he is one of the scariest matchups come the postseason. Role players including Michael Porter Jr., Bruce Brown, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and rookie Christian Braun would add depth alongside the team’s two stars. In the 2024 offseason, the Nuggets have lost several key role players from their 2023 championship team, have one of the harder contracts to trade in MPJ, and multiple teams in the Western Conference have gotten better around them.

The Nuggets are owned by Kroenke Sports & Entertainment Group. Kroenke not only has full ownership of the Nuggets, Ball Arena, and the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche but has stakes in the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams, other teams in numerous sports, and other ventures as well. Josh Kroenke, CEO and President of the Nuggets has been accused of being cheap with the Nuggets.

When Bruce Brown opted out of his contract in the summer of 2023, the Nuggets were not willing to offer him a contract like the Indiana Pacers’ two-year, $45 million contract. The same thing would happen before 2024 free agency, with KCP declining his $15.4 million player option. The Nuggets would have full bird rights to KCP and would still end up losing him to the Orlando Magic. Reports would note that the Nuggets offered a “similar” deal to what the Magic offered, but many reports also suggested the opposite as the Nuggets were looking to avoid the second apron like many other teams this offseason.

Avoiding the second apron, the Nuggets can use a taxpayer mid-level exception, worth just over $5 million. The team also traded guard Reggie Jackson this offseason for cap relief, moving several second-round picks to do so. On Thursday, it was reported that veteran guard Russell Westbrook is expected to join the team following a trade from the Los Angeles Clippers to the Utah Jazz where he expected to be waived and bought out from the rest of this contract. This move has already seen criticism across the basketball world.

One of the biggest problems the Nuggets currently have is the contract of Michael Porter Jr. Signing a five-year, $179 million deal in the summer of 2022, MPJ had a strong season during Denver’s championship season, averaging 17.4 PPG, and 5.5 RPG. He would establish himself as a third member of the Nuggets’ big three but had a small decline during the 2023-24 season. This would be seen the most during the second round of the 2024 playoffs, where MPJ would score less than 10 points in five of the seven games during the series.

If the Nuggets were looking for another star to pair alongside Jokic and Murray, Porter would be the player on the move to make any big deal work. Recent rumors suggest the Nuggets were toying with the idea of trading MPJ to the Clippers for Paul George if he had opted into his player option. With MPJ’s contract becoming one of the more untradable contracts in the league, especially due to the new collective bargaining agreement, he will remain in Denver for the foreseeable future.

While the Nuggets still have the best player in the league in three-time MVP Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray is expected to come to terms on an extension with the team following the Olympics, the Nuggets are sitting in a dangerous spot. This season saw multiple teams in the West take giant leaps including the Oklahoma City Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves, who would both be competing with Denver for the top seed in the conference until the final days of the season. The Dallas Mavericks would also make multiple efforts to remain a championship contender following their run to the Finals.

While other teams in the West have stacked their rosters, Denver has not done this offseason. They would draft DaRon Holmes II during the 2024 draft, but due to an Achilles injury, he is expected to miss all of the 2024-25 season. The team’s only free-agent signing would be Dario Saric.

Even with the lack of moves made by the Nuggets, they still have favorable odds for the 2024-25 championship. Fox Sports currently has the Nuggets with the third-best odds to win next season’s championship. The Nuggets still have the best player in the world in Jokic and one of the best guards in the league in Jamal Murray. While the Nuggets still have what it takes to be in championship contention, there have been six different champions in the last six seasons. Denver has the potential to become a dynasty in this new era of the NBA, but only if they address key issues on the roster.