After winning the 2023 NBA title, the Denver Nuggets have now failed to reach the Western Conference Finals in three straight postseasons. The matter-of-fact results aside, it's also about how they've lost. That's because their nadir in that stretch, a humiliating first-round defeat to the shorthanded rival Minnesota Timberwolves, sounds like it might inspire the change necessary for Denver to reopen a championship window around three-time league MVP Nikola Jokić.
On Sunday, ESPN's Shams Charania stated the obvious out loud about Denver.
With the Nuggets looking so vulnerable in a championship-or-bust season, the only reportedly untouchable player in Denver moving forward is Jokić. That means it seems likely that at least one of the guys like Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon, Cam Johnson, Christian Braun, or Peyton Watson may have already played their last game in a Nuggets uniform. Meanwhile, Jokić is expected to sign a monster contract extension worth nearly $300 million this July as Denver tries to retool around its franchise player.
Which, to anyone paying attention to the Nuggets' exploits: duh. The report on Denver starts at 1:50 in the clip below.
Of course, executing team-improving trades, the Nuggets would be happy to accept, while also satisfying their trade partner, is easier said than done. Let's run through the five names mentioned.
Denver's glue guy, Gordon, while talented, has now broken down in two straight playoff runs. Braun fell back to earth from a 2025 breakout campaign after an early-season ankle injury derailed his offensive production. Johnson, a smart, positional defender and connector who can shoot, is on an expiring contract, which should theoretically make it easier to trade him and get good value in return. However, Johnson's future in Denver is made more complicated by the fact that the Nuggets are reportedly keen on retaining and empowering upcoming restricted free agent Peyton Watson, the organization's brightest young talent by far.
If the Nuggets can keep Watson, Johnson is probably gone.
Then there's the 29-year-old Murray. After a career season that will almost certainly see Murray named to an All-NBA team, Murray would fetch the biggest trade return. However, trading away Murray, Jokić's long-time running mate, would also be the most dramatic, systematic change for the Nuggets. But maybe that's what's necessary with Denver coming up empty in three straight postseasons in the middle of Jokić's stellar prime. Unless they have better injury luck moving forward, if the Nuggets don't take a big swing, they may well find themselves stuck in basketball purgatory.
If there were ever a time for Denver to change its winning formula, it's probably this summer.
When failure happens in the NBA, no one outside of the franchise talisman is safe. Everyone is on the table. Welcome to the reality of falling short at this level of basketball. It's just business.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Nikola Jokić is only untradable Nugget this offseason, per report
