The Denver Nuggets are coming off their first championship in franchise history. The key to repeating next season will be if they're able to shore up some of their depth. Nuggets head coach Michael Malone plays a tight rotation of only eight players or so, so it's not like the Nuggets need tremendous depth. But they do need capable contributors to a championship team and they still have a need for a clear reserve big man. To address that, the Nuggets could turn to NBA free agency where there are two players they should be looking at in Montrezl Harrell and Bismack Biyombo.
As mentioned before, Malone runs a pretty tight rotation with the Nuggets. This past season, aside from the starting lineup of Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Michael Porter Jr., the only Nuggets to see significant minutes in the playoffs were Bruce Brown, Jeff Green and Christian Braun. Unfortunately for the Nuggets, they lost both Brown and Green to the Indiana Pacers and Houston Rockets, respectively, in NBA free agency. Braun had a solid rookie season and ended up being a major contributor. They also signed Justin Holiday and have Peyton Watson waiting in the wings at guard. The Nuggets next move needs to bring in some big man depth.
The Nuggets did re-sign DeAndre Jordan, but at this point in his career he's best suited as a veteran presence in the locker room and on the bench. He only played 15 minutes per game last season and in the playoffs he was out of the rotation completely. It's not realistic to ask him to shoulder the minutes Green did, who was the Nuggets backup center. There are two young-ish players on the roster in Zeke Nnaji and Vlatko Cancar who can theoretically help in the frontcourt. Neither one is very proven, however.
There are a couple of players left in NBA free agency though that could potentially help the Nuggets. Both Montrezl Harrell and Bismack Biyombo are available. Depending on the type of skill-set the Nuggets prefer, either of them could help off the bench.
Montrezl Harrell is not that far removed from being a productive player with the Washington Wizards and Charlotte Hornets. He fell out of the rotation with the Philadelphia 76ers last season but he still has something left in the tank. He may have his questions on the defensive end but so did Green, whose role he would presumably be taking. He's a big body, similar in stature to Green, just without the three-point shooting. He brings a ton of energy, doesn't need the ball in his hands to be effective and can be a force on the glass. Harrell has been a double-digit scorer for most of his career with the exception of his rookie season and last season.
Bismack Biyombo is a different kind of player from Harrell in that he is a defensive presence with not much in the way of offense. He hasn't even been that great of a rebounder throughout his career with an average of only 5.9 per game. He will defend the heck out of the basket though with his length and his strength allows him to be decent on-ball. His only real offensive trait though is he can finish around the rim. The Nuggets have offensive weapons though and for a reserve role, Biyombo is one of the best big men left.
Both Harrell and Biyombo should come relatively cheap. With the new CBA in place, that's the key for teams like the Nuggets is being to able to field a championship roster with limited resources.
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