This offseason, the Denver Nuggets opted to make a major investment in star guard Jamal Murray, giving him a four-year extension worth over $200 million to keep him with the franchise for the foreseeable future.
Soon, they will have a key decision to make on veteran forward Aaron Gordon, who will also be extension eligible later this month.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst pointed out that the Nuggets this offseason essentially decided to pay Murray and “probably” will pay Gordon while letting veteran guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope walk, and he explained that pressure is starting to arrive for a Denver organization that has “run out of time with cheaper contracts.”
"[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
The Nuggets had a disappointing showing in the 2024 NBA Playoffs, making quick work of the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round but falling to the Minnesota Timberwolves in seven games in the conference semifinals.
The second-round exit came as a bit of a surprise to some, and it marked a failed defense of the team’s 2023 NBA title, which Denver won thanks to a dominant playoff run. The Nuggets dropped just four games in total during the 2023 postseason.
Denver still has several championship-caliber pieces on its roster, but the organization is now finding that it’s having to make some difficult choices around the edges of its roster in order to retain players like Murray.
Losing a player like Caldwell-Pope could certainly hurt the Nuggets. A two-time NBA champion, Caldwell-Pope averaged 10.1 points per game last season and was a very good 3-point shooter, knocking down 40.6 percent of his shots from deep. He has earned a reputation as a valuable 3-and-D piece.
With a core that still features Nikola Jokic, Murray and Michael Porter Jr., the Nuggets can’t be counted out of the championship conversation anytime soon, but they’re certainly facing some adversity, and it’s going to be interesting to see how it impacts their title window.
Denver will open its 2024-25 season on Oct. 24 against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Ultimately, winning cures everything, so if the Nuggets can put together a strong stretch to start the season, some of the concerns surrounding them will start to quiet down.
