So far this offseason, the Denver Nuggets' best move may have come on the sidelines, with the addition of assistant coach Dave Joerger. Outside of that, the collection of moves that the Nuggets have made on the court is sideways to marginally improved at best, and the player that stands to lose the most from the lackluster moves is Nikola Jokic. Jokic's title window in Denver is rapidly diminishing, and the timing couldn't be worse for the three-time MVP.
Jokic is eligible for a historic contract extension, one that he says he plans to sign next summer. We have to take him at his word at this point that he will extend and just play the waiting game.
But in the meantime, the Nuggets haven't done a whole lot to give him a better chance at getting back to the NBA Finals with their moves this offseason. And even the D+ grade that Bleacher Report gave the Nuggets could be considered generous. Sure, the Nuggets are handcuffed on the moves they can make due to their second-apron luxury tax status, but it leaves Jokic with much more to do. Again.
The Nuggets have barely made a meaningful addition
Tyus Jones. Trevon Brazile. Marvin Bagley III. Alpha Diallo. That's it. Those are the new additions to the court next year.
Bagley could be a decent backup for Jokic when Jokic exits the floor, but he's not going to be that large of an upgrade over the salary-cap casualty Jonas Valanciunas. Brazile is an athletic rookie who can stretch the floor, but he's unproven at the next level. Tyus Jones? His only positive is elite ball control.
The wild card of the bunch is Diallo, the 29-year-old rookie defensive stopper with a lot of defensive upside that should be a boon for the wing and two-guard spot in place of Tim Hardaway Jr. But offensively, he's not great, and there was a reason he was playing in Europe instead of the NBA.
Jokic is going to have to do it all himself. Again
Nikola Jokic is coming off the best season of his career, despite finishing in second place in the MVP voting. The big man from Sombor, Serbia, may have to improve on his already out-of-this-world 27.7 points, league-leading 12.9 rebounds, and league-leading 10.7 assists. Which seems impossible, but he just keeps getting better year after year.
The real worry for the fans is that at some point over the course of the season, Jokic changes his mind and wants to find a team that is better built to win in the future, or he decides he wants to go play with his friend Luka Doncic in Los Angeles next year. The nightmare of all nightmare scenarios.
It's doubtful that happens, based on Jokic's own words. But this could be what future offseasons continue to look like as long as the Nuggets are in luxury tax and apron purgatory. Jokic's title window will only shrink from here.
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