The Nuggets’ offseason is not sexy, their path forward now defined by efficiency.
That is the reality clobbering this franchise over the head as an expensive team dealing with a suffocating new collective bargaining agreement.
It sounds like an excuse to return to a time when Denver was always a free agent’s second choice. It is becoming a reason for what is happening at Ball Arena.
So as Paul George heads to the 76ers and Klay Thompson joins the Mavericks, the Nuggets are left to sell the idea that adding a former most valuable player and backup center can keep their championship window cracked before Boston, Oklahoma City or Minnesota slams it on their fingers.
The Nuggets are taking a long, hard look at Clippers guard Russell Westbrook and will likely sign a backup for Nikola Jokic. I can hear eyes rolling when that sentence is read aloud. Westbrook is a first-ballot Hall of Famer, who has mercifully accepted life as a role player, caffeinating a second unit with his drives to the basket and energy. He is also someone who doesn’t space the floor because he is a dreadful 3-point shooter — yet somehow attempted 154 last year.
My conclusion when watching the last few days unfold is that the Nuggets’ margin for error is gone. Poof.
For Denver to have any chance to return to the NBA Finals, general manager Calvin Booth and coach Michael Malone better be in lockstep like the guards at Buckingham Palace. And no player should be off-limits in trade talks, save for Jokic.
This feels more like a wish than an expected result. And hope, as the Rockies show us six days a week, is not a strategy.
A cascade of criticism is raining down on the Nuggets, namely Booth, for letting Kentavious Caldwell-Pope defect to Orlando for a three-year, $66 million contract. I respect this decision. The Nuggets don’t win a ring without Caldwell-Pope, but at 31, he is not a player worth triggering the financial ramifications of crossing the luxury tax’s second apron.
Losing him, no matter how hard they tried, was a likely outcome. What wasn’t anticipated is the emerging picture of the roster. The Nuggets are top-heavy, while simultaneously stacked with enough youth to start a boy band. It is proof the new salary cap is punitive.
But the Nuggets cannot stop trying to solve the roster Rubik’s Cube.
Jokic has long held an affinity for Westbrook, so there are enough breadcrumbs to follow to believe he would embrace this move. He hasn’t played with many athletes of Westbrook’s ilk. It is easy to argue Westbrook, with his credentials and price tag, is an upgrade over Reggie Jackson. It is impossible to advance the notion that this helps Denver win another championship unless Christian Braun morphs into Alex Caruso.
Same goes for the eventual inclusions of a veteran center (perhaps Dario Saric), DeAndre Jordan (essentially an assistant coach) and Vlatko Cancar.
Contending for a title requires Booth to explore dealing Michael Porter Jr. and Zeke Nnaji, as unlikely as that seems. There was a willingness to do so, it appeared when talking to the Clippers about Paul George.
It also demands that the wrinkles that have become visible over the last calendar year get ironed out.
Everybody has to be all-in and follow the plan. Jamal Murray has to be held accountable to his max contract and become an All-Star for the first time while still delivering career-defining postseason greatness. Porter must reach a ceiling that approaches 20 points per game and earn clutch fourth-quarter minutes. And Braun better use a gym as his Airbnb this offseason, launching endless jump shots.
Perhaps, most saliently, it means Malone, whose competitiveness helped win a crown, accepts the reality of young players and sacrifices games during the season’s first four months to develop Braun, Peyton Watson, DaRon Holmes II and Julian Strawther. An example of the disconnect last season emerged when the Nuggets couldn’t decide if it was more important to chase the No. 1 seed or rest leading into the playoffs. Homecourt is not necessary to win the Western Conference (see: Mavericks, Dallas).
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The Nuggets’ missteps no longer come without consequences. They don’t have enough depth to erase mistakes.
Booth and Malone talked like they were in alignment at the end-of-year presser, but this season sets up as a referendum on the pair’s partnership. It is easy to say the right things, but actions will articulate who is on board with the vision. Will Booth look to upgrade during the season for a push even as prospects make progress? Will Malone play Westbrook 35 minutes a night out of spite?
There’s no room for discord. With Jokic and Murray on the team, 50 wins is a near certainty. But this is not about that. It’s about rings. Booth’s decisions make sense when examining the salary cap. But criticism is fair that he is not making the right choices within the confines of a championship window.
The Nuggets are no longer easy money after making mistakes with Porter and Nnaji’s contracts. They are more Moneyball, their future success dependent on maximizing their stars, while microwaving the development of their young players.
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