Denver Nuggets: 3 takeaways from the 2018 offseason

3. Cap relief was a priority

As I noted previously, the Denver Nuggets traded three contracts that were seen as negative assets given the way the rotation was set up last season. Trading Faried, who wasn’t in the rotation, and Arthur, who only played 19 games in 2017-18, are moves that needed to be made and fast. The Nuggets will be a young and upcoming team next season that will be even younger after the salary dump with the Brooklyn Nets.

Wilson Chandler was a solid player for the Denver Nuggets in his tenure, but he’s 31 years old and needed a change in scenery. Once healthy, Michael Porter Jr. will need as many minutes as he can handle if he is going to develop into one of the Nuggets next premier players. Allowing the younger players to play will be key for the Nuggets to improve going forward. They have a solid crop of players who will be looking to make that next step in the 2018-19 season.

Re-signing Will Barton and Nikola Jokic were no-brainers, as the Nuggets needed to keep the core together. Doing so allows for them to keep building on last season’s success that saw them win 46 games. Their team chemistry will be at an all-time high since most of the team is returning for the 2018-19 season.

Locking up Jokic for years to come is a smart move since he is one of the upcoming stars on this deep Nuggets team, but in order to do so without a hefty luxury tax bill, moving Chandler, Faried and Arthur was paramount.