Prominent NBA voices have big concerns with the Denver Nuggets

The Denver Nuggets have lost significant talent two offseasons in a row following their 2023 championship and it’s these moves that have many in the NBA world thinking less of the Mile High City hoopers.

On Thursday, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst talked about Jamal Murray’s struggles in the playoffs and the Olympics with the team’s decision to let Kentavious Caldwell-Pope walk while paying both Murray and possibly Aaron Gordon soon.

“They have run out of time with cheaper contracts and the pressure has arrived,” Windhorst said.

"[The Nuggets] have run out of time with cheaper contracts. … The pressure has now arrived." ✍️ @WindhorstESPN on if Nikola Jokić, Jamal Murray and the Nuggets' championship window has closed 👀 pic.twitter.com/WjVEFwR0bv

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) September 19, 2024

In a podcast with Zach Lowe, Bill Simmons picked the Nuggets as his biggest concern of the coming season. With Murray’s health and subsequent giant contract also sticking out to Simmons. The Ringer’s top NBA guy also believes the team has been passed as a regular season team by the Oklahoma City Thunder, who finished with the same amount of wins last year but added some key players this offseason.

“Last year is a complete fluke, I don’t understand what happened in that Game 7, maybe not a fluke but one of the most unusual Game 7s in the history of the league and then after they’re all talking about how they’re dead and people have played in two straight finals before… there’s no way the Nuggets had it harder than the Warriors. I don’t know where this goes, but I don’t like where we are,” Simmons said.

While Simmons admits Jokic is one of the top 15 players ever, his concern is the Nuggets don’t really have a big move to make outside of trading Michael Porter Jr. which Lowe hints at as a possibility especially if they extend Aaron Gordon. Lowe thinks there will be a hard limit to what the Kroenkes will spend.

Lowe’s concern for this year is relying on youth and the small amount of threes the Nuggets took last year combined with their offseason losing shooters and replacing them with non-shooters.

Though, unlike Simmons, Lowe says he may still pick the Nuggets to represent the West in the NBA Finals when he’s asked to make his season prognostications.

 

All three analysts are basically saying the Nuggets window comes down to Murray—and the Blue Arrow’s last appearance left a sour taste in everyone’s mouth.