5 Denver Nuggets who definitely won't be back next season
By Ben Handler
4. DeAndre Jordan is no longer a viable NBA backup center
This isn’t exactly breaking news and it has arguably been the case for several years. But watching an exhausted Jokic play 47 minutes in Game 7 was further proof that it’s time for the Nuggets to get a legitimate backup center.
There was hope for Zeke Nnaji, but he didn’t progress as much as the team hoped and he was likely too small to play center in this series. Aaron Gordon can be feasible as a small-ball center at times but that’s more of a last resort.
DeAndre Jordan is an unrestricted free agent and unless it’s in an assistant coaching role, I don’t see any reason to bring him back. DAJ has been a great veteran leader, but it’s time for the team to employ an actual center who can spell Jokic without the team falling off a cliff.
Perhaps the Nuggets will attack the center position with the 28th pick in the draft, maybe they will try for another minimum contract center on the free agency market, or maybe they’ll target a playable big man in a trade. But one way or another, they need more beef down low next season. 6’9” Zeke Nnaji, 35-year-old DeAndre Jordan, and two-way player Jay Huff are not a backup frontcourt on a championship team.