The Denver Nuggets became the new king after beating the Miami Heat with a total score of 4-1 in the NBA Finals series. This is also the first championship in the 47-year history of this team.
It is also the culmination of years of force building. Some have questioned, can the Denver Nuggets maintain their dominance for many more years in the NBA arena?
Can the Denver Nuggets rise to become an empire?
Unlike other teams that recruit stars from the free market, the Denver Nuggets are loyal to building a core framework from players in the NBA Draft. With the first brick named Nikola Jokic in the 2014 NBA Draft, they continued to bring in Jamal Murray (NBA Draft 2016) and Michael Porter Jr (NBA Draft 2018).
These are also 3 key players of the Denver Nuggets over the years. From that framework, they continue to bring in matching pieces like Aaron Gordon, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope or Bruce Brown from transfers.
The special thing is that this framework will be together for at least the next 2 years, when they all sign a long-term contract with the Denver Nuggets. There is only one exception for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, as he can refuse to renew and leave in the summer of 2024.
Not only that, the three important players of the Denver Nuggets have all signed long-term contracts. The trouble will only come after Jamal Murray ends his contract in 2025. A big contract extension will cost the Denver Nuggets a lot of money, but if they still accept the tax penalty, then the framework. These could still stick together until 2027.
Not only that, the age of the players in the Nuggets squad could help them play at their peak for at least another 4-5 years. Michael Porter Jr. is only 24 years old, Jamal Murray is 26 years old, while Nikola Jokic, the superstar who has just won the MVP title, is only 28 years old. With his playing style, Jokic can still play well even when he has already won. beyond 30.
Besides, Aaron Gordon is only 27 years old. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is the oldest player in the main group, but he just turned 30 in February.
If nothing unusual, the Denver Nuggets can completely maintain and take advantage of the peak period of key players for at least the next 3 or 4 seasons, with the ambition to bring back 2 championships for Colorado State City.
Can the Denver Nuggets get a boost from the transfer market?
In fact, the Denver Nuggets have no room in the salary budget to increase quality players. However, that does not mean that they are not allowed to add the necessary positions in the squad.
Currently, the Denver Nuggets are having 2 special salaries, with a value of $7m and $9m respectively for a year of competition. This is not a big salary, but it is enough for them to sign more substitutes of relative quality in the NBA arena.
Besides, they also have 2 Picks 37 and 40 in the NBA Draft 2023. These are low value picks, but don’t forget Nikola Jokic, their top NBA superstar is only selected in position. 41st in 2014.
With keeping the main frame, the Denver Nuggets only need to care about adding players to thicken the squad depth. Reasonable choices will help them easily manage in the Regular Season, fueling the whole team towards defending the championship in the 2023/2024 season.