The Denver Nuggets are in big trouble.
They are on the verge of paying the dreaded luxury tax this upcoming season. Josh Kroenke, Nuggets president and son of owner Stan Kroenke, said that ownership was willing to pay the luxury tax for this upcoming season, according to BSNDenver. Now that’s all fine and dandy, but this is not a team that should be paying the tax.
The Nuggets have not made the playoffs since the 2012-13 season. They have not had a player selected to an All-Star game since Carmelo Anthony in the 2010-11 season. While they look like they have a very promising future ahead of them, they need more veteran talent to nurture and guide the next generation to success.
While Kroenke is willing to pay the tax, it will do this Nuggets team no good to be stuck in the purgatory of losing to the Warriors or Rockets super teams for the next several seasons. I believe in this Nuggets team, but I don’t think they are ready to contend for a championship yet. They can’t be hindered by cap restrictions while building a super team of their own.
That’s why I’m laying out two plans for the Nuggets to go below the luxury tax threshold over the next several years. So, let’s see how Denver can get out of the tax.
(Note: All stats are via Basketball-Reference unless otherwise noted.)