The Denver Nuggets are arguably the biggest winners of the offseason. So far, the Nuggets have traded for Cam Johnson and Jonas Valančiūnas. The Nuggets only traded Michael Porter Jr., a 2032 first-round pick, and Dario Saric to land Johnson and Valančiūnas. Moreover, they have signed 2023 champion Bruce Brown and Tim Hardaway Jr. With these moves, the Nuggets are undoubtedly a better team and a bigger threat to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Before these moves, Minnesota was arguably the third-best team in the West behind the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Houston Rockets. Now, they are likely fourth. While the Wolves are still contenders, Denver upgrading their roster undoubtedly makes things more challenging.
The Nuggets improved key roster flaws
This past season, Minnesota had a perfect 4-0 record against Denver. Additionally, in the 2024 playoffs, Minnesota beat the defending champs in the second-round. The Nuggets' problems were multi-faceted, but they addressed all of them in these recent acquisitions.
For starters, they lacked ball-handling outside of Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokić. This allowed the Wolves to turn up the pressure on Murray. Notably, he averaged just 14.2 points on 42.1 percent shooting against the Wolves this past season. However, Brown and Johnson provide some needed secondary ball handling. While both Johnson and MPJ are similar players, the former provides more ball handling and defense.
Another key issue for the Nuggets was how poorly they would play with Jokić off the court. He posted an absurd +19.8 net on/off difference last season. While Jokić’s on/off numbers will always be stellar due to his greatness, being able to manage the minutes with him off the court was a clear area of improvement for Denver. Valančiūnas is a skilled offensive big and hard-nosed rebounder who can help the Nuggets stay afloat without Jokić. The Nuggets might even look to utilize double-big lineups, especially against bigger teams like the Wolves.
Along with the addition of Valančiūnas, Hardaway will be a massive boost to Denver's bench. The Nuggets ranked 28th in made 3-pointers, so Hardaway will help solve this problem. Surrounding the best player in the world with an improved supporting cast is a championship recipe that will certainly benefit the Nuggets.
Don't count out the Wolves
Overall, one of the Wolves’ biggest rivals has gotten a lot better this offseason, and they are especially better equipped to match up with Minnesota. The Wolves shouldn’t be counted out in the West; they still have a formidable core of Anthony Edwards, Julius Randle, Jaden McDaniels, Rudy Gobert, and Naz Reid. Furthermore, they have been to two consecutive Western Conference Finals.
The Timberwolves may breakthrough and make or even win the NBA Finals. Nevertheless, offseason moves from the Nuggets and Rockets, paired with the looming threat of the Thunder, make things challenging for the Wolves.