The Denver Nuggets are currently in the midst of what would figure to be a crossroads offseason as for the future direction of the franchise following their shocking loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round of this year's postseason. The Nuggets had been coming off a first round series vs the Los Angeles Lakers in which the team wasn't exactly dominant, and the loss vs the Timberwolves called into question whether Denver would ever turn into the dynasty some had predicted after their championship victory in 2023.
One of the many players who struggled vs the Timberwolves this year was Nuggets shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who played solid defense but couldn't throw a rock into the ocean for large stretches of the matchup. However, that probably isn't going to stop the former Los Angeles Lakers guard from commanding a hefty salary in free agency this year, which he is set to enter after declining his player option with the team.
There is a real chance that Caldwell-Pope does indeed leave the team in free agency, making fans wonder what Denver might opt to do to replace him.
“Denver is currently prepared to lose the veteran two-way wing, sources said, who was an integral fifth starter for the Nuggets’ 2023 NBA title,” reported NBA insider Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports. “…”The Nuggets are also engaged in trade scenarios for backup big man Zeke Nnaji, sources said. Denver had given the 23-year-old out of Arizona an opportunity to claim a clear-cut reserve role behind Nikola Jokić, but traded up in Wednesday’s NBA Draft to select a foreseeable replacement in Dayton center DaRon Holmes II. Nnaji’s $8 million salary could be an outgoing package, for example, to bring back Serbian point guard Vasilije Micić from Charlotte, who’s been a target for Denver, sources said. If Denver moves Nnaji that gets the Nuggets under the second apron, and it would have access to that $5.2 million taxpayer MLE. One player the Nuggets were considering for that role was Russell Westbrook, sources said, before the veteran opted into his $4 million with the Clippers. Another veteran to consider in that ballpark is Dario Šarić, sources said, whom the Nuggets have coveted for some time.”
A big decision
This could be the second straight offseason that the Nuggets lose a key contributor to their championship team after seeing Bruce Brown walk out the door last offseason for the bag that the Indiana Pacers threw at him.
With teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder, Dallas Mavericks, and of course the Timberwolves on the rise out west, it's certainly fair to wonder just how long the Nuggets can continue to lose key players before they fall a step behind the competition, despite the continued brilliance of Nikola Jokic and what figures to be a bounce back season from Jamal Murray.
In any case, NBA free agency is slated to begin on Sunday evening at 6:00 PM ET. The Nuggets could certainly look a whole lot different by the time next season gets underway in October.
Follow Us
Subscribe