It's been what has felt like a long offseason for Denver Nuggets fans. Their foray into the free agency market got off to a mostly slow start, but there has been a flurry of moves to finish that have helped lighten the blow of trading away Peyton Watson. And as such, those moves bailed out what would have resulted in a much worse offseason and had them finish closer to the grade they received from Bleacher Report.
Yes, Bleacher Report gave the Nuggets a D- for their final grade for the offseason. But I don't think it was THAT bad. The Nuggets should get at least a C-. Please, let me explain why.
The Nuggets' offseason was bailed out by three moves in particular
We all know that the Nuggets needed defensive upgrades this offseason. Badly. And losing one of their top two defenders, Watson, to the Cleveland Cavaliers via sign-and-trade wasn't exactly a step in the right direction. But had the Nuggets matched the offer the Cavs gave him, they would have been staring at one of, if not the, biggest luxury tax bills of all time. For a team that has never been one to pay large penalties, it was definitely too much to ask from the ownership group, unfortunately.
But the first move the Nuggets made to counteract the defensive issue actually came in before Watson was dealt. The Nuggets signed the EuroLeague's Best Defender, Alpha Diallo. His defense could be on par with Watson's, and the Nuggets need to get some credit by thinking outside of the box about bringing in some defense on a budget.
The next move they made that helped salvage their grade was the signing of DeMar DeRozan. The 17-year veteran will provide an instant offensive boost off the bench. Which was key. The Nuggets had no real offensive weapon without DeRozan. But he gives the Nuggets another option to try out at backup point guard as a playmaker, and he opens up the second unit to a lineup that seems really good on paper.
Finally, the last move that put the offseason back on the right track was signing Cam Whitmore to the final two-way roster spot. The Nuggets picked up an athletic former first-round talent who is still just 22 and has plenty of offensive upside. It was a no-brainer move that didn't affect the salary cap issue and gives the Nuggets a chance to develop Whitmore a little further. And if it doesn't pan out? No harm, no foul.
Staying in the second apron keeps the Nuggets at a C-
However, the Nuggets are still the only team in the NBA over the league's second-apron luxury tax penalty threshold, and it looks like it will stay that way for the time being. The Nuggets will have to trade either Zeke Nnaji, Julian Strawther, Aaron Gordon, or Christian Braun to reach the goal of getting back under the mark. And they'll have to part with some of the future draft picks they've acquired during the offseason to do it.
Had they fixed that issue by including Nnaji in the Watson deal, then I could grade the Nuggets higher. But given their constraints, the front office actually did okay this offseason, and I think a C- is fair.
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