The Denver Nuggets are coming off one of the most crushing series defeats in franchise history at the hands of their rivals, the Minnesota Timberwolves, and the consensus among fans and analysts alike is that the Nuggets are headed down a road nobody saw coming just a few weeks ago. Dominoes will likely fall, and players will likely be dealt. But there is one constant that the Nuggets will always have as long as he has his way. Nikola Jokic doesn't want to play for anybody else. And he shouldn't.
It should be comforting to know that Jokic has no desire to go play anywhere else. You start your rebuild, or change of your core, around the three-time MVP and still debatable World's Best Basketball Player. Jokic's happy in Denver, and it's not the first time he's confirmed it. But it's still nice to hear.
"I still want to be a Nugget forever," Jokic said.
He made the comments after the Nuggets series ending defeat in Game 6. In a moment of calm before the chaos this summer when the offseason starts, it's a nice reassurance for the fans and the front office. Our foundational rock isn't going anywhere. Not on his watch.
Nobody else on the roster is safe
While nothing is officially official, league sources have said Jokic's name is off the table in trade talks. However, everyone else's name will get thrown into the hat to rebuild for next year.
The Nuggets know they can't bring back the same squad that got trounced by the Timberwolves, for the second time in the last four years. They got run over on the perimeter, allowing the Wolves into the paint at will.
And the Nuggets had no one in the paint to stop them at the rim. Jokic isn't a rim protector, and both holes need to be addressed for the Nuggets to contend for their second championship next year. But because they have a disaster brewing financially, and with more roster spaces to fill up, the Nuggets may have to trade a big piece.
Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon's names have been tossed around already. Murray is coming off a career season, so his value has never been higher, but his $50 million salary next season could complicate any offers. But it does give the Nuggets a chance at getting two or even three pieces back because of that large salary.
Gordon, on the other hand, and his injury history could be difficult for Denver to deal. Gordon missed three of the Nuggets six playoff games, and he played in just 36 games this season and 51 last year before being hobbled in the Nuggets Game 7 defeat by the Oklahoma City Thunder. His injury history could substantially diminish his value, so the Nuggets will have to be careful with how this plays out with Gordon.
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