Nuggets of Season Moves

After the Denver Nuggets Game 7 exit against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western

Conference Semi-Finals, the offseason rumors have begun, and the questions are being asked on what the Nuggets have to do to become a title contender.

The Denver Nuggets lost 93-125 on 5/18, one thing was apparent: the Nuggets can not continue to rely on Nikola Jokic for all of the offensive work. In the 2025 playoffs, Nikola Jokic averaged 26.2 pts, 12.7 reb, and 8.0 ast. The biggest stat of all was that Jokic averaged 40.2 minutes per game. Jamal Murray helped with an average of 21.8 pts and Aaron Gordon with 16.2 pts, but the bug that bit the Nuggets was inconsistency and injury. If the Nuggets were healthy, maybe the situation would be different, but with Aaron Gordon’s hamstring injury and Michael Porter Jr.’s shoulder injury caused the Nuggets offense to stall out in Game 7, putting up only 93 points.

As the offseason has begun, what can the Nuggets do to put them in a title contention once again? Nikola Jokic, at the age of 30, has a limited amount of years left in his prime. The Nuggets have to make the effort to win while Nikola Jokic is playing his best ball. The inconsistency of the Nuggets offense when Nikola Jokic is off the floor is what causes the Nuggets to wear out their star players. Looking into this offseason, the most important pieces the Nuggets need to fill is their bench and obtaining a third consistent scorer.

The Denver Nuggets have one of the worst offensive ratings when Jokic is on the bench. The Nuggets need to acquire a true backup big for Jokic. DaRon Holmes II spent his first season on the bench with an injury, so with his return next season, it will be interesting to see if he can help fill the hole that Jokic leaves when he sits. It's too early to say if the Nuggets are interested in trading any of their starters, such as Michael Porter Jr. or Christian Braun, but ever since the loss of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, the Nuggets have been missing the ability to stretch the floor and allow Jokic to play 1-on-1 against opposing teams’ bigs.

The Denver Nuggets are on the edge of being one of the top teams in the NBA, and a few moves this offseason could help bring the championship feeling back to the Mile High City.