Maybe they didn't sign him, but they're hoping the effort pays off.

The Denver Nuggets made a surprising run at Dwyane Wade this summer and nearly signed him, before the former Miami Heat star went with his hometown Chicago Bulls.

Still, it's left the Nuggets feeling better about themselves when it comes to their pursuit for free agents.

Via the Denver Post:

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The ripple effects of Wade’s free-agent dance with the Nuggets haven’t been felt yet, (Mike) Malone said. “I think hopefully next summer you’ll see some of that,” he said. “I think our fans were able to realize that ‘OK, the Nuggets are serious about winning. And they are willing to go out there and try and sign a marquee player.’ Kind of like you look at what the Rapids did, bringing a guy like Tim Howard in. That’s a marquee name.”

Here's a refresher on the positive words had for Denver.

“Those guys, I was sold on them, those individuals, great individuals,” Dwyane Wade said. “They made it a lot tougher than people think just from the standpoint of when you get into free agency, it’s all about how comfortable someone can make you feel. It’s about the picture they paint for you about the what’s the possibility of how the team can look with you inside of that team.”

You have to love to hear this if you're the Nuggets. Denver hasn't been a contender in some time, ever since Carmelo Anthony left, but if they can ever land that big-name free agent they may be able to join that conversation again.