Many believed the Denver Nuggets were going to blow up their team this offseason by trading away Kenneth Faried, Wilson Chandler, Ty Lawson, and Danilo Gallinari. Those expectations were soon turned down when the Nuggets traded only one of the four and signed two of them to contract extensions while keeping the other.
The Nuggets’ offseason started during the 2015 NBA draft when they selected Emmanuel Mudiay with the seventh overall pick. Once the selection was made, Nuggets point guard Ty Lawson sensed a trade coming. In fact, in a raw footage Lawson said, “Told you, I’m going to Sacramento bro.”
Mudiay was obviously a great draft choice, and it was clear Denver wanted to replace Lawson. Weeks after the start of free agency, the Nuggets finally struck a deal, shipping Lawson to the Houston Rockets for Pablo Prigioni, Nick Johnson, Kostas Papanikolaou, and Joey Dorsey. Prigioni was immediately waived, but the rest are expected to remain on the roster.
Johnson, 22, did not receive the opportunity to showcase his skills last season with the Rockets. He only played 28 games while averaging 9.4 minutes per contest. In limited time, Johnson did, nonetheless, prove to be a stellar on-ball defender. With Denver, he may earn the floor time he needs to develop to become a legitimate bench player.
Papanikolou started off his rookie campaign on a positive note, providing sufficient floor spacing and outside shooting. However a knee injury tainted the remainder of his rookie year, as the 25-year old logged just 43 total games.
Dorsey, who earned 17 starts last season due to various players getting injured, is better suited as a third string big man. He figures to play a similar role for the Nuggets during the upcoming season.
The Nuggets surprisingly handed out contract extensions to Wilson Chandler and Danilo Gallinari this summer, two players who were profoundly involved in many trade rumors. But with the two swingmen still lingering on the roster, the Nuggets have solidified a core unit of Gallinari, Chandler, Mudiay, and Faried for the next few years.
Denver also retained Jameer Nelson and Will Barton. Nelson will continue to serve as the veteran leader on the team. Aside from leadership, Nelson is also an ample scorer and play maker.
Barton, meanwhile, is a high energy athlete who plays with a chip on his shoulder every night. The 6-foot-6 two guard impressed the Nuggets with his outstanding rebounding, scoring, and hustle. He earned plenty of minutes which gave him the chance to demonstrate what he could do on the hardwood with extra time. Barton, the 40th overall pick by the Portland Trail Blazers in 2012, could possibly see an even larger role this season.
The Nuggets did not make many maneuvers this summer, even though many believed they would, but they did trade their All-Star caliber point guard. Lawson was stirring up too much off-the-court issues by getting in trouble with the law on a consistent basis. Although very talented on the court, Denver simply had enough of his off-court shenanigans and had to part ways with him. Plus weeks before trading Lawson, the Nuggets had already found his replacement.
Obviously the Nuggets are not going to be a powerhouse team any time soon, especially with Lawson gone. But they used this offseason to make slow strides toward the future which isn’t all too bad. Yet, overall, they do have a less-talented squad going into the new season.
Off-Season Grade: D+