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Whats next for the Denver Nuggets?

By Da'Vonte Hughes

Photo by Bart Young/NBAE via Getty Images
Photo by Bart Young/NBAE via Getty Images /
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With the Denver Nuggets coming close to making a playoff run, how will they fare in the 2018-19 season?

The Denver Nuggets finished the 2017-18 season with a 46-36 record, just barely missing the playoffs.

They signed power forward Paul Millsap from the Atlanta Hawks last summer in the hopes of taking that next step towards playoff contention. Unfortunately, Millsap only played 38 games after missing a bulk of the season because of wrist surgery.

The Nuggets are a team with a bunch of young talent that will continue to get better as their careers progress. In the 2018 NBA Draft, they landed forward Michael Porter Jr., who was once regarded as the best prospect in the draft.

Porter enters the league with a back injury that kept him out of his lone college season at Missouri, so it’s hard to predict what he brings to the Nuggets. If healthy, Denver will get a dynamic scorer who has been compared to players like Kevin Durant and Paul George.

The one thing the Nuggets need to do is get rid of the dead weight this offseason. Wilson Chandler was already traded to the Philadelphia 76ers to dump salary, but the team still has work to do to get under the luxury tax. With this in mind, Kenneth Faried and possibly Darrell Arthur shouldn’t be Nuggets by the time the 2018-19 season begins, even at the cost of a first round pick to dump them somewhere.

Trade options:

Free Agency

In free agency, as noted above, the Nuggets needed to make some trades to free up some room on the roster in order to re-sign their own free agents. By trading Chandler, the Nuggets will re-sign Nikola Jokic to a five-year, $148 million deal, while Will Barton will be retained on a lucrative four-year, $53 million deal.

Barton’s deal is fairly hefty, but with Chandler out, the Nuggets needed a starting wing and he’s still only 27 years old. Now it’s a matter of rounding out the rest of the roster, letting the following players walk:

I view this Nuggets roster as a pseudo-rebuilding team because they are full of young draft selections who are hitting their stride. After the season that Will Barton had where he averaged 15.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game, it makes sense he’s commanding a high salary next season.

The players that I would suggest the Nuggets go out and sign — if they can be had for minimum deals — are as follows:

Shelvin Mack is as solid as a reserve point guard can be. He can teach Jamal Murray some things about the league while letting him get the maximum amount of minutes as the starting point guard.

This team should allow minutes for Michael Porter Jr. from the start to increase the overall potential of the starting five, and for depth purposes, Alex Len could be brought in, especially to prepare for a potential Mason Plumlee trade.

Depth chart

I believe that this roster can take the next step and make the playoffs next season. Adding a dynamic scorer Michael Porter Jr. should take this team to new heights. Coupled with the continued development of Jamal Murray and Gary Harris, this team will be a force to be reckoned with. If the Nuggets feel short on the wing, bringing back Richard Jefferson isn’t the worst idea.

Next: 2018 NBA free agency tracker: Grades for every deal so far

Paul Millsap will have a healthy season and anchor this team to the playoffs. Nikola Jokic will lock down the middle for years to come. Look out for this team in 2018-19. I predict the Denver Nuggets finish the upcoming season with a 49-33 record and make the playoffs.

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