For all the front office turnover and the surprising firing of coach George Karl this offseason, the Denver Nuggets could find themselves in a much worse position. Aside from leader Andre Iguodala's impending free agency, the roster itself doesn't have many holes, so what the Nuggets do with a single pick in the 2013 NBA Draft might not be of great consequence.
NBA Draft 2013: Denver Nuggets look for home-run addition to their core
What will the Nuggets do in the draft with a head coaching opening and an already-impressive core in place?
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It could, however, be a chance for newly-appointed vice president of basketball operations Tim Connelly to take a swing for the fences.
Two biggies
How the Nuggets' two big decisions will change the future of the franchise Denver could fill a backup roster spot or take a risk with their No. 27 overall pick. Their draft board and how the rest of the draft pans out obviously matters a lot, but if there’s a player that drops in the mysterious 2013 draft, the Nuggets could potentially get a steal. If they don’t like what they’re looking at, they could trade the pick.
Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski reported Monday that Denver is open to trading their pick for a second-rounder or a future first-round choice. But if they pick for themselves, what will the Nuggets be looking at?
Draft picks
Denver has only the No. 27 overall pick, but that could be traded away.
Depth chart
PG - Ty Lawson, Andre Miller, Julyan Stone (restricted free agent)
SG - Andre Iguodala (player option - plans to opt out), Evan Fournier, Jordan Hamilton
SF - Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler, Corey Brewer (free agent), Quincy Miller (non-guaranteed contract)
PF - Kenneth Faried, , Anthony Randolph
C - Kosta Koufos, JaVale McGee, Timofey Mozgov (restricted free agent)
The Nuggets are in good shape across the board. Though none of their players are technically shooting guards, the versatility on the wings and the option to play with two point guards gives Denver a number of lineup options and thus more depth than the pure numbers allude toward. There is, however, the potential for more.
Biggest need
As versatile as the Nuggets' small forward position might be, the team needs to prepare for life without Iguodala. Namely, the Nuggets could use a shooting guard or small forward who not only is comfortable handling the ball but being heavily relied upon to make plays for himself and others. Set at center, power forward and the wings, adding a player to take pressure off point guards Ty Lawson and Andre Miller would be huge, as none of the other players fit the bill as that type of facilitator.
Potential targets
Forward Tony Mitchell (scouting report) of North Texas and guard Ricky Ledo (scouting report) of Providence are two players with high upside toward the end of the first round. New Mexico's Tony Snell or Glen Rice Jr. out of the D-League are other shooting guard prospects with room for growth.
And if Denver wants to keep the pick without adding to a relatively tight salary cap situation, stashing a raw player overseas could also be an option if they have any favorites there. Big man Rudy Gobert is falling fast down draft boards and could be an option in that regard.
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