Strike 2: For a team with almost no salary cap room and lacking a first-round draft pick, the Denver Nuggets have had a heck of an offseason thus far.
To the shock of most observers, the new Nuggets front office tandem of Ben Tenzer and Jon Wallace went all out the moment NBA free agency opened, and pulled off a major trade – sending stalwart Michael Porter Jr to the Brooklyn Nets for Cam Johnson. They opened up enough cap space to re-sign former Nugget standout Bruce Brown along with Tim Hardaway, Jr. Then they made one more unthinkable trade by unloading seldom-used Dario Saric to Sacramento.
The return on the Saric trade is still sort of TBD, with newly acquired Jonas Valančiūnas apparently seeking to leave the NBA and play in Greece. Whether Valančiūnas leaves or stays, getting rid of Saric and clearing more cap room is still a win for Denver. There could be interest in free agent Al Horford if the Nuggets let Valančiūnas out of his NBA contract, which they say they aren’t going to do.
Stay tuned on that.
Nevertheless, it’s clear that the Nuggets have made themselves into a much better basketball team virtually overnight, which has all of Nuggets Nation justifiably excited.
But there’s still one lingering unanswered question, even with all the new acquisitions: While they have the best player on the planet under contract, do the Denver Nuggets possess a second All-Star yet?
Three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic has been a Denver Nugget for more than a decade now, and he still hasn’t played alongside another current All-Star. He’s the only league MVP to hold that “distinction” this far into his career. While guys like LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Steph Curry have been MVP’s on teams they helped to load up with other All-Star players, Jokic has continually been left to carry an unusually heavy load without that kind of assistance. All you have to do is look at the productivity of the entire Nuggets roster with the MVP on the floor and with him on the bench. They’re great with Joker in the game, and historically bad when he’s on the bench.
The difference is staggering.
So while these moves that the front office has made will improve the team and make them better and deeper, is there anyone else on the new and improved Denver roster who could become an All-Star alongside the Joker?
Obviously the first player that comes to mind is max-contract guard Jamal Murray, but Murray has continually battled nagging injury issues that have prevented him from being All-Star level impactful – especially prior to the All-Star break. “Playoff Jamal” is a hero in the Mile High, but until he proves he can stay healthy during the long regular season, he won’t get picked for the middle of the season shindig.
There is one caveat to this: With the league switching to a “USA vs. World” format and Jamal being from Canada, it would seem his chances of being selected, if healthy, would be improved. We’ll see.
Then there’s Aaron Gordon, who despite battling injuries himself had an excellent 2024-’25 season. His perimeter game improved dramatically (AG’s 43.6 3-point percentage was far and away the best of his 11-year career) and when he was on the floor and not being asked to play center while Joker rested, he was a force. Like Murray, Gordon has never been an All-Star.
Christian Braun would seem like the best candidate among the young players the Nuggets have added via the draft in recent years to eventually become an All-Star. Braun stepped into the starters role last season and had his best year yet. If he gets better from the perimeter, he could be a future All-Star game candidate. But probably not just yet.
That leaves us with totally unknown Daron Holmes, the 2024 first-round pick who has yet to suit up for the varsity (he was injured in his first summer league game last year and hasn’t played in any Nuggets uniform since) but for whom hopes remain sky high. If he has a good first half, he’s likely to be part of the Rising Stars game, but any All-Star talk would have to begin after that.
So the easy answer is it’s Jamal or bust in terms of a second Nuggets All-Star.
Denver overall will be better this fall, but unless Murray’s healthy and can make the World roster, it will probably just be Joker repping the Nuggets again next All-Star break.
Strike 2: The Denver Nuggets are still searching for a second All-Star Mile High Sports.
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