The Denver Nuggets have made some quality moves to fill out their roster this off season. Is Denver done making moves, or should we expect more?
The Denver Nuggets knew they had to make the most of this off season. After missing the playoffs by one game in each of the last two years, Denver knew that this was the year they have to get over the hump. This past year, there were a lot of bad losses in games that should have been won, inconsistent stretches by players and of course, injuries. There were cries by fans to fire Head Coach Mike Malone and trade a number of players.
Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets knew they had to capitalize this off season and improve the team so they could reach the playoffs for the first time since 2013. The Nuggets team was extremely deep, with two quality players at almost every position, as well as young guys who could flourish with the right opportunity and playing time.
In the 2018 draft, the Nuggets added three potential impact players. With the 14th overall selection, the Nuggets got a gift, as Michael Porter Jr fell right into their laps. Porter Jr was ranked as a top 5 prospect, but fell due to injury concerns. There are concerns that Porter Jr might not be able to play this year, but the Nuggets have so much depth that they can withstand it. Denver also spent two second round picks on Jarred Vanderbilt and Thomas Welsh. Overall, it was a wildly successful draft by the Nuggets.
In the off season, the Nuggets knew they had to secure Nikola Jokic for the long haul. They declined his team option, and signed him to a max deal over 5 years and worth $146 million. They also re-signed Will Barton and signed Isaiah Thomas to backup Jamal Murray. Retaining two key players and signing another impact player in Thomas were all great moves by Tim Connelly and the Nuggets front office. However, possibly the best moves made by the Nuggets this off season were the trades to offload salary. The Nuggets were deep in the luxury tax, and knew they had to trade good players in order to get under it.
The Nuggets started off by trading Wilson Chandler and a future 2nd round pick to the 76ers. The deal saved the Nuggets over $50 million combined on the luxury tax and salary cap savings. Denver followed that up by trading Kenneth Faried, Darrell Arthur, a 2019 first round pick (protected 1-12), and a 2020 second round pick for Isaiah Whitehead, who was waived. This deal saved Denver $21 million in salary, and pushed them even further below the luxury tax.
With all of these moves, Denver remained a deep team while getting younger and saving money. Examining the Nuggets depth chart it currently looks like this:
PG: Jamal Murray, Isaiah Thomas, Monte Morris
SG: Gary Harris, Malik Beasley
SF: Will Barton, Michael Porter Jr, Torrey Craig, Juancho Hernangomez
PF: Paul Millsap, Trey Lyles, Jarred Vanderbilt, Tyler Lydon
C: Nikola Jokic, Mason Plumlee, Thomas Welsh (Two-Way Contract)
That’s an extremely deep, talented team. The starting five is sound, with quality bench pieces surrounding them. Looking at this depth chart, there are no glaring holes or needs. The Nuggets addressed their backup point guard need by signing Isaiah Thomas, and have another quality backup point guard option in Monte Morris, who tore up Summer League.
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Overall, it looks as if the 2018 Nuggets roster is complete and this will be the squad that will be rolled out there on opening night. This is a big year for the Nuggets, and they did everything they could to get back into the playoffs in an extremely stacked Western Conference. The Nuggets could make one final move to bring in a veteran like they did last year with Richard Jefferson, but with the roster already looking set, this could very will be the final product.