Aside from naming David Adelman the next head coach, promoting Ben Tenzer, and hiring Jonathan Wallace, the Denver Nuggets were relatively quiet since their season ended in the semifinals for the second consecutive year. Those moves, while notable, weren't the ones that fans were waiting for. On Monday, they finally got what they wanted.
On Monday, Denver traded Michael Porter Jr. and a 2032 first-round pick to Brooklyn for Cam Johnson and signed Bruce Brown to a one-year, veteran's minimum deal. As if those two moves weren't impressive enough, the Nuggets traded Dario Saric to the Kings on Tuesday for Jonas Valanciunas. They also signed Tim Hardaway Jr. to a one-year deal, adding another shooter to the roster.
The offseason couldn't have gotten off to a better start for the Nuggets
Denver shed $17 million next season by trading MPJ, a move that fans thought wouldn't happen, much less send Johnson to the Nuggets in the process. Johnson is an elite shooter, and his numbers will improve with Nikola Jokic finding him for open looks. His production will be a boost for Denver, but more than that, Johnson is a more consistent player than Porter.
Brown left the Nuggets two years ago in free agency after he helped Denver win its first-ever title. It's hard to believe that the Nuggets couldn't afford to keep him then, and now have him on a veteran's minimum. Jokic wanted Denver to address its lack of depth this summer, and reuniting with Brown is the kind of win that the Nuggets needed.
Signing Saric to a two-year deal last summer (with a player option) was a mistake, but luckily, the Kings are the Kings. Trading him to Sacramento for Valanciunas, who is a great backup for Jokic, is almost hard to believe because of how good a move it is.
Hardaway gives the Nuggets yet another shooter. He averaged 11 points for the Pistons last season, shooting 40.6% from the field and 36.8% from three on 5.9 attempts per game in 77 starts. Extra firepower is never a bad thing.
A couple of months ago, Denver took OKC to seven games in the second round of the playoffs. Look at everything the Nuggets have done since then. Actions speak louder than words, and the front office has put Denver in an excellent position to win another title. The start to the offseason has almost been too good to be true!