1 Massive mistake that still haunts the Nuggets

The missteps by the Nuggets and their front office in recent years have been few and far between. For the most part, they’ve nailed the draft and made smart trades and free-agent signings. There’s not a lot to nitpick or point out as clear and obvious mistakes. But there is one move that keeps rearing its ugly head that the Nuggets still haven’t quite gotten over yet.

Trading away Isaiah Hartenstein was a disaster

The Nuggets have been desperate for big man depth and a reliable backup for Nikola Jokic for years at this point. The team constantly suffers when the Joker sits and it’s an issue that plagued them this season as DeAndre Jordan and Zeke Nnaji struggled and both failed to crack Michael Malone’s playoff rotation.

But the Nuggets had the ideal backup center on the roster and traded him for pennies; Isaiah Hartenstein. Hartenstein starred in the playoffs this season for the Knicks and has established himself as an elite backup big man. He grinds and does all the dirty work and little things that a team needs. In fact, he did them so well that it was hard for New York to keep him off the court.

He more than held his own as the starter when Mitchell Robinson was injured and earned closing minutes when both were healthy on multiple occasions. Calling Hartenstein a great backup may actually be demeaning at this point, as he has evolved into so much more; a true weapon at the center position.

Hartenstein will be one of the most coveted free agents this offseason, possibly the top center on the market. He could get a deal worth more than $20 million a season and he’s earned every penny with his outstanding play.

JaVale McGee never contributed for the Nuggets

Sadly, Denver had Hartenstein on the roster to start the 2020-21 season. The big man was struggling to find his footing in the NBA at that point and he wasn’t getting much playing time for the Nuggets. The team never really gave him a shot and after just half a season traded him to the Cavaliers along with two 2nd round picks in exchange for JaVale McGee.

The team thought the veteran McGee would be the safer option for backup duties behind Jokic, but that was obviously not the case. McGee floundered, barely contributing anything for the Nuggets, and is now essentially out of the league. Hartenstein is probably one of the 20 best overall centers in the NBA. Meanwhile, the Nuggets enter yet another offseason in desperate need of a backup center.