Denver Nuggets: Constructing the dream offseason
By Sean Carroll
Denver Nuggets dream offseason: Hit on the 2021 NBA Draft
After losing a tiebreaker with the LA Clippers, the Denver Nuggets own the 26th pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.
Nugg Love has been through some of the potential options with this pick including Usman Garuba, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, and Jared Butler. Martin Znasik also went through some of the NBA-ready and high-ceiling prospects available.
Tim Connelly had an interesting comment during his press conference which looks like he’ll be prioritizing the draft before moving on to free agency decisions:
"“We’re always trying to get better. Certainly, we have a handful of free agents that we’re hopeful we can retain, but we won’t have real certainty about what our roster might look like until post-draft.”"
With the draft literally before free agency, yes, it makes sense. It’ll also be interesting to see if the front office thinks the 26th pick (or higher) can be the player who fills in Jamal’s production.
Related Story. Potential trade-up scenarios in the 2021 NBA Draft. light
Assuming the team is working on a timeline of competing in 2022-23, the player Denver drafts this offseason will have a full year of development under its belt. If the draftee can be an actual contributor to winning, they’ll be on a rookie scale deal for the span of Denver’s title window, an important piece to a winning roster.
The draft is too far away to truly narrow down which prospects will be available and where, but this one is incredibly important if it gives Denver a contributor.
