This offseason just keeps getting worse and worse for the Denver Nuggets. Their season ended in embarrassing fashion against an incredibly injured version of the Minnesota Timberwolves in six games. From there, they managed to lose two of their bench staples: Tim Hardaway Jr. to the Miami Heat and Jonas Valanciunas overseas.
It went from bad to worse when yesterday, they had to sign-and-trade their best young asset, Peyton Watson, to the Cleveland Cavaliers, and all they received in return was a 2031 first-round pick and a 2032 second-round pick due to their severe financial limitations.
To be clear, I don't think Nikola Jokic is going anywhere, but ever since their championship in 2023, things have gone slowly downhill, and the Nuggets' asset management during the back end of Jokic's prime years has been appalling. That's putting it nicely.
The Wolves have had their number in recent seasons, and you have to wonder if Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, and company have put an end to what was supposed to be a perennial powerhouse in the NBA.
The Timberwolves showed the NBA world who the Nuggets really are
The Nuggets are always viewed as contenders in the NBA simply because arguably the best player in the world is on their team. But the Wolves brought a lot of their flaws to light during these last playoffs. For one, their perimeter defense is horrific; it might be a bottom-five unit in the NBA. Aaron Gordon is a solid defender, but he's had trouble staying healthy the last few seasons, and Christian Braun advertises as a good defender, but he's a lot more bark than bite.
Peyton Watson was probably their best and most athletic/versatile defender, and he was just signed and traded. Between not being able to contain the perimeter and having Jokic as rim protection, that's not a recipe for winning unless your offense is borderline flawless.
They had the number one offense in the league last year, but in the playoffs it was fairly easy to stymie with elite POA defenders like McDaniels, Jaylen Clark, and Ayo Dosunmu. Rudy Gobert on the back line doesn't hurt either.
The Wolves had no business winning their recent Nuggets series
With how injured the Wolves were, they truly had no business winning that series. Even fully healthy, they would have been pretty large underdogs. The Nuggets took a team that lost that series as badly as they did and stripped three rotational guys, only adding one in return: Marvin Bagley III.
It's hard for me to continue to place the Nuggets among the contenders in the West, given their recent playoff shortcomings plus the loss of good players each year, with minimal avenues to improve. They're stuck with Braun's albatross contract for the next five years, and they have no tradeable picks or quality young players.
The mission was a championship, and they completed it, so credit to them, but the future looks pretty bleak, and it feels like the Wolves shut the door on what may have been their final real opportunity.
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