1 player the Nuggets could steal away from the 2 Finals teams this offseason

As the NBA Finals play out and all attention is on the last two teams remaining, it’s hard not to see the impact of role players. The Celtics and Mavericks are built around their stars, but they’ve made it this far by adding talent around Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Luka Doncic, and Kyrie Irving.

With lesser supporting casts, there is a good chance neither of these teams is still playing. The Nuggets brass have to be kicking themselves as they watch this series play out. The Nuggets certainly have the star power to match up with either squad and it appears more than ever that their path back to the top is bolstering the bench and depth.

One other thing that comes along with championship levels of success is that a spotlight is shined on key role players. After guys win, they may be inclined to seek more money or a bigger role elsewhere. The Nuggets saw it firsthand last year as Bruce Brown and Jeff Green were both massive postseason contributors who left in free agency for big contracts that Denver was unable to match.

So who could be those players this offseason? Are their secondary talents who could be appealing to the Nuggets? The team should certainly be closely monitoring the situation. They found out the hard way that it’s hard to replace playoff and championship experience.

The Celtics and Mavs will fight tooth and nail to keep their cores intact, but in the modern NBA, it’s getting harder and harder to keep teams together. There will be casualties, and if teams like the Nuggets are savvy, they should be able to scour these rosters and find some solid value and players that may be able to help them get back to the top next season.