The Denver Nuggets have been active right from the get-go in free agency. Since the moment it opened up on Monday evening, the Nuggets have made some major roster additions. They understand what it is going to take to knock off the reigning champs.
The Nuggets made some high-quality moves. They addressed their bench weaknesses while preserving the starting five as well as they could. Trading Michael Porter Jr. and a 2032 first-round pick to the Nets for Cam Johnson was their first move.
It was tough to see MPJ leave. He had been a staple for the Nuggets for the last half-decade. His contributions will forever be appreciated, but this trade was objectively good for the Nuggets.
MPJ is a skilled shooter but doesn’t bring much else to the table. Johnson, on the other hand, is a bit better defensively and a better playmaker. He can also shoot just as well as Porter, as he shoots a career 39% from three. Shooting-wise, Johnson and Porter are similar, but Johnson does a little more in other areas of the game.
The next move was bringing Bruce Brown back on a one-year deal. Brown was vital to Denver’s championship run in 2023, and the organization hopes he can bring the magic back. Nuggets fans know how crucial he can be for the bench unit.
These two moves gave the fans hope for next season. The next two moves put the Nuggets in contention for a Championship. Denver finally acquired a reliable backup center for Nikola Jokic in Jonas Valanciunas.
Valanciunas averages 13.1 points and 9.3 rebounds for a career, making him the perfect backup to the three-time MVP. Jokic averaged 40.2 minutes per game in the 2025 playoffs, a number that is far too high. If the Nuggets are going to make a run, they need Jokic to run a marathon, not a sprint.
Finally, the Nuggets acquired Tim Hardaway Jr from the Pistons. Another good shooter who can provide a scoring punch from the bench. The signings of Valanciunas, Brown, and Hardaway allow for the young bench players in Julian Strawther and Peyton Watson to develop naturally.
The Oklahoma City Thunder deserve to be the favorites coming out of the West, but the Nuggets are clearly the second-best team.
The Los Angeles Lakers have not addressed their issues at center, and LeBron James may leave. The Minnesota Timberwolves lost a key piece in Nickeil Alexander-Walker. The Dallas Mavericks have a solid roster, but Kyrie Irving will miss time till March, and Anthony Davis is injury-prone. It is also rare for a rookie to lead a team to a championship.
Cooper Flagg will be great, but expectations should be set reasonably for year one. The Los Angeles Clippers and Golden State Warriors have had first and second-round exits consistently over the last few years, and neither team has made a splash move in free agency yet. The team that could creep up as a dark horse contender is the Houston Rockets.
With the signing of Kevin Durant, the Rockets have a reliable scorer to go with their centerpiece, Alperen Sengun. The Rockets essentially switched out Jalen Green for KD, which is a massive upgrade, as Green struggled mightily in the playoffs. With Amen Thompson leading their stout defense, they can certainly come out of the West.
As of now, though, the Nuggets and Thunder top the West, and everyone else comes after.
The Nuggets may not be done with their moves. Al Horford is still available, and he would make a tremendous backup power forward to Aaron Gordon and raise the level of defense for the entire team.
The league needs to look at OKC and make every move to knock them off the NBA map. The only way that can be done is with depth. The days of the big three ruling the NBA are over.
If the Nuggets can take OKC to seven games with a depleted roster last season, they certainly will have a shot in this next one.
The Nuggets needed more shooting, bench depth, and a reliable backup center. They have addressed those in less than 48 hours.
Will they add anyone else? If so, who?
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