Part 5 of the offseason guides brings us to two teams in the Western Conference with a short-term focus, but in two different directions: the Denver Nuggets and Utah Jazz.
Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets ended their season the same way they did the year prior, losing in 7 games in the second round; however, this time it was to the eventual champions. Denver did go through some turmoil, though. They decided to fire head coach Mike Malone two weeks before the start of the postseason, a very shocking move to everyone in the NBA. Friction had been building between the front office, mainly Calvin Booth, and Mike Malone for some time; both were in the final year of their contracts with the organization and had different approaches to how the team should be built and played on the court. Booth wanted his draft picks, such as Jalen Pickett, Julian Strawther, and others, to play more over veteran player Russell Westbrook, but Malone opted for a more veteran presence on the floor. This eventually bled over to the team, and the ownership decided a new voice was needed. In stepped David Alderman, and the Nuggets played good basketball. Barring an absurd 39-point outing from Kawhi Leonard, the Clippers series might’ve taken fewer games, and they were up 8 points going into the 4th quarter against the Thunder while up 2-1 in the series, before losing that game and getting blown out by 30 points in game 7 on the road. So what now for the Nuggets?
Alderman did have the interim tag lifted shortly after the end of the season, and it is the right move. He approaches the game much differently than Malone, opting for more input both from the staff and players. More importantly, Nikola Jokic likes the move, and that’s the most important thing. Denver’s owner made striking comments in a press conference, saying, “If the wrong person gets hurt, then you’re stuck in a position to trade number 15.” Not exactly a great thing to say when you have a generational player and talent in the prime of his career while also coming off the best season of his career. The Nuggets didn’t have a ton of financial flexibility before the offseason. They were stuck with larger contracts between Michael Porter Jr, Jamal Murray, and Nikola Jokic, but eventually pulled the trigger on a trade with the Nets to get Cam Johnson and relief from a repeat tax offender. Before getting to the financial and asset portion of the trade, the on-court fit is perfect. Johnson, at his best in Phoenix in a similar role he’ll play in Denver, didn’t have a great tenure in Brooklyn; he’s a much better fit than Porter Jr at $20 million less on the cap sheet. The Nuggets did have to give up their lone first-round draft pick in 2032, unprotected, but that’s a decision you have to make when Nikola Jokic is 30 years old and at the peak of his powers. The move gave the Nuggets the ability to sign Tim Hardaway Jr, bring back fan-favorite Bruce Brown, and open up a trade with the Kings to get off of Dario Saric’s contract and bring in a reliable backup center in Jonas Valanciunas. Overall, this is good for the Nuggets. They were able to flip an asset for a small price in the long run, but a franchise that has won an NBA championship is trying to get back to the mountain top the long run is put on the back burner. The Nuggets likely will be able to avoid the tax and aprons altogether, but they are without a first-round pick until 2033, giving them limited options for midseason trades.
The player development piece of it is more important than it has ever been. Johnson will fit like a glove with the current starting 5. Valanciunas will provide a much-needed break for Jokic, who played a career-high 37 minutes per game last season, during the regular season. However, Julian Strawther, Jalen Pickett, and DaRon Holmes will need to show something throughout the regular season and give help to the older portions of the team. Aaron Gordon will be recovering from a hamstring injury, and Jokic is probably off in Serbia with his horses being unbothered. I am much higher on Strawther as he showed some promise in 2023-2024, before getting injured and coming into a big spot in the Oklahoma City series, and hit some massive threes for the Nuggets. Overall, the start to the offseason is good. Jokic is a safe bet to be as good as he was last season, and Jamal Murray gets a much-needed break after dealing with a knee injury and having the Olympics last summer. The Nuggets took the champions to game 7 on their home floor, so maybe they are the sleeper in the West to knock off the Thunder.
Utah Jazz
Now moving the program along to the Utah Jazz, a team that finally invested fully into the tank last season. Lauri Markkanen, John Collins, and Jordan Clarkson all seemed to get a nice vacation towards the end of the season last year. The younger guys in Keyonte George, Isaiah Collier, and Cody Williams were allowed to play a majority of the season. Unfortunately, sophomore Taylor Hendricks broke his leg during the second week of the season and missed the whole year, but he’s back. Add in a pair of first-round picks, including a top 5 selection in Ace Bailey, and the Jazz are ready… for another season of losing.
Financially, the Jazz have made a ton of trades so far this offseason. Recently, they’ve shipped off John Collins to the Clippers and Colin Sexton to the Hornets. They are a team with cap space to take on bad contracts with equity. They’ve also fielded offers on center Walker Kessler over the last year as well. They have a ton of draft picks as they are owed a plethora of first-round selections up until 2031 and have one of the more valuable ones in the Suns' unprotected 2031 first-round. They are owed 4 first-round picks between the Timberwolves and Cavs between the years 2027-2030. They also control all of their first-round picks. Asset-wise wise the only trades I could see happening are them fielding offers, again for Walker Kessler, Lauri Markkanen likely needs to have a productive first half of the season to increase how trade value before he gets rerouted somewhere else and to make way for the new Jazz. Overall, it’s a straightforward process for Austin Ainge and the rest of the front office for Utah: lose, collect picks for bad contracts, and get some lottery luck. None are more important than the latter, as the Jazz went a league-worse 17-65 last season.
The player development end of things is where it begins for the franchise. Keyonte George, Isaiah Collier, Taylor Hendricks, Ace Bailey, Walter Clayton Jr, and Cody Williams. Collier had a great rookie season, flashing a ton of playmaking potential as he went on a tear, moving into the Jazz’s starting 5 late in December and averaging close to 8 assists over a 30-game stretch late in the season. He’s lightning-quick with the ball in his hands and has some phenomenal vision. The finishing could use some touching up, as he struggled around the basket and in the floater range. The shot is also a working process, but most point guards take a while to get accustomed to the NBA. Keyonte George, I think, would benefit with a lead guard next to him in either Collier or Clayton Jr. While the defense is ugly, the offense could be better. He’s a very confident player with the ball in his hands, oftentimes taking some wild shots on limited passes. The jumper still has some work to do. Cody Williams likely needs to be a real NBA player this season, as he was one of the worst players in the NBA according to most advanced stats. He had a True Shooting% % of 42.1 last season, not great. He’ll need to do a complete 180 to not be labeled an early bust. Bailey and Clayton will have shots coming their way, and I think both will be solid. Bailey will take some bad shots, but getting him the most exposure as a number 1 option as early as possible can help his progression. I think Will Hardy is a great coach for him to play under, and he will steer him in a good way. Also, I need to mention Brice Sensabaugh because I think he’s a real scorer and player in the NBA. He’s got a smooth-looking shot and has some juice off the dribble that’s very intriguing. Overall, it’ll be a tough year to watch the Jazz, but Bailey will make it fun for regular fans, and Sensabaugh is enough to keep me intrigued to watch some games. Have fun, Utah fans. This is a safe space for any issues.
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