After this summer’s off-season, the Nuggets roster may look vastly different from the one which won the 2023 NBA championship.
While the core of Nikola Jokic , Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon is all but certainly going to remain intact, the supporting cast around them may shape up differently, and potentially, be weaker in depth.
Expected to be one of the teams in contention for a title last season, Denver suffered a premature – and shocking – playoff exit in the Western Conference semifinals after falling in seven games to the Minnesota Timberwolves , where it was clear that they lacked that additional punch from their rotation depth than they had the season prior.
| Denver Nuggets – Playoffs Performance Drop-off This Season | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | 2023-23 Playoffs | 2023-24 Playoffs |
| PTS | 113.5 | 102.2 |
| OPP PTS | 105.2 | 104.3 |
| OFF RTG | 118.2 | 109.5 |
| DEF RTG | 110.2 | 110.9 |
| NET RTG | 8.0 | -1.4 |
One key piece that was missing was the bench contribution from Bruce Brown , who, last summer opted to leave the Nuggets, and now, there is an element of fear that they could lose another integral role piece in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who, if he declines his $15.4 million player option – which he is expected to do – will hit unrestricted free agency this time around.
But while the Nuggets should be prioritizing trying to re-sign the 31-year-old three-point threat, with him viewed as a great fit in Denver’s starting line-up, and highly coveted by head coach Mike Malone, they may have no choice but to let him walk away for nothing due to severe financial constraints.
Thus, strapped for cash due to four highly-paid starters, there are murmurs that the Nuggets could be forced to make some drastic changes, such as potentially moving on from a player such as Michael Porter Jr. to free up some finances, especially after he went missing down the stretch of the playoff campaign where he was virtually a non-factor after a stellar regular season outing.
Caldwell-Pope Has ‘Big Market’
Medina believes there will be a ‘big market’ for Caldwell-Pope, and as a result, this spells bad news for the Nuggets because, although they want to retain him, they do not possess the financial means to do so.
Consequently, for the Nuggets, the journalist strongly expects the 31-year-old to move on from the team, with his market value deemed to be with anyone who has a chance to contend for a title next season.
“There’s a big market. He’s your ultimate glue guy role player that you want on a championship team. He’s won championships. He’s a three-and-D player, a great locker room guy. So, he’s always going to fit on a team that already has a championship-constructed roster, and he is just that additional role player that can help with doing all types of things on the floor.
It’s tough because the Nuggets want to keep him, but this goes back to, teams that are over the tax, it’s harder to keep your players. So he’s going to leave the Nuggets – the market’s going to dictate that, and he’s going to have a lot of interest. Think of any team that has a possibility of winning a championship and that’s his market.
Some teams have more cap space than others, but, I wouldn’t be surprised that the teams that do have cap space make a run for him, and the teams that don’t, try to make some moves to clear up space to get him.”
