The Northwest Division focused on the future this offseason.
NBA free agency recap: Nuggets lose Andre Iguodala, Thunder stay Northwest Division contenders
The Denver Nuggets had a tumultuous offseason, culminating in the loss of one of their best players -- if not the best.
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Two teams can be characterized as contenders in the Northwest: the Thunder, who will remain elite no matter what because of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, and the Nuggets, who assembled an up-tempo squad that earned the Western Conference’s third seed.
The Thunder stayed pat with their squad of stars, but the Nuggets had a bit of an offseason implosion: they lost their GM, Masai Ujiri, then lost their head coach, George Karl, then lost perhaps their most valuable player, Andre Iguodala. The Nuggets will have a tough time replacing their braintrust and an elite player, especially with just J.J. Hickson, Nate Robinson, and No. 46 pick Erick Green as their offseason acquisitions.
Meanwhile, the Timberwolves, Trail Blazers, and Jazz all looked young with development in mind. Here’s a look at every move made in the Northwest Division this offseason:
Returning players under contract: JaVale McGee, Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler, Andre Miller, Ty Lawson, Anthony Randolph, Evan Fournier, Kenneth Faried, Jordan Hamilton, Quincy Miller
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The Denver Nuggets begin a new era without longtime head coach George Karl, and 2012 offseason big trade acquisition Andre Iguodala. Corey Brewer, Julyan Stone and Kosta Koufos are also no longer with the team. Denver signed J.J. Hickson and Nate Robinson, traded for Darrell Arthur and Randy Foye, and drafted Erick Green and Joffrey Lauvergne.
Returning players under contract: Dante Cunningham, Kevin Love, Derrick Williams, Ricky Rubio, J.J. Barea, Alexey Shved, Chris Johnson
| Added | Lost | |||||
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| Free Agents | Corey Brewer | |||||
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The Minnesota Timberwolves have moved on from the era of David Khan and have brought Flip Saunders in to handle personnel. They lost only one player to free agency in Andre Kirilenko, traded Malcolm Lee and Luke Ridnour and waived Mickael Gelable and Greg Siemsma. Shabazz Muhammad fell to the Timberwolves with the 14th pick on the 2013 NBA Draft, and Minnesota selected defensive stopper Gorgui Dieng with pick No. 21. Minnesota also drafted Lorenzo Brown and Bojan Dubljevic. Versatile forward Chase Budinger will return to Minnesota, as will Corey Brewer. Veteran frontcourt player Ronny Turiaf will also join the Timberwolves, but the Wolves are still settling the Nikola Pekovic situation.
Returning players under contract: Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Kendrick Perkins, Thabo Sefolosha, Nick Collison, Serge Ibaka, Jeremy Lamb, Reggie Jackson, Perry Jones III, Hasheem Thabeet, DeAndre Liggins, Daniel Orton
| Added | Lost | |||||
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| Trades |
| Kevin Martin | ||||
| Waivers | | |||||
The Oklahoma City Thunder cashed in on five draft selections in the 2013 NBA Draft. Big man Steven Adams was their first selection with pick No. 12, and they ended with the acquisition of 40th pick Grant Jerrett. The draft pick the Thunder used to select Adams was part of the package the Thunder received in exchanged for James Harden. Kevin Martin, another piece Oklahoma City received when they traded Harden to the Houston Rockets, has left the team and has joined the Minnesota Timberwolves in a sign-and-trade. Derek Fisher will return for his third stint with the franchise, and the team added Ryan Gomes as a backup forward.
Returning players under contract: LaMarcus Aldridge, Nicolas Batum, Wesley Matthews, Damian Lillard, Will Barton, Joel Freeland, Meyers Leonard, Victor Claver, Sasha Pavlovic
| Added | Lost | |||||
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| Free Agents | J.J. Hickson | |||||
| Trades |
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| Waivers | Sasha Pavlovic | |||||
J.J. Hickson will take his double-doubles to the Denver Nuggets, Eric Maynor is heading to the Washington Wizards to back up John Wall, and the Trail Blazers have added Earl Watson and Dorell Wright to fill out the lost depth. The biggest acquisition of the Trail Blazers' summer was drafting rookie combo guard C.J. McCollum with the 10th-overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft. Allen Crabbe could also be a solid pickup for Portland, as he was a first-round type talent who cost the Blazers two future second-round draft picks to select with the first pick in the second-round of the 2013 NBA Draft. Portland also traded for Pelicans center Robin Lopez.
Returning players under contract: Marvin Williams, Derrick Favors, Enes Kanter, Gordon Hayward, Alec Burks, Jeremy Evans, Jerel McNeal
| Added | Lost | |||||
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| Trades | Randy Foye | |||||
| Waivers |
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The era of Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson loading up the Utah Jazz's frontcourt came to an end this summer. Both players have moved on to new opportunities, and now Enes Kanter and Derrick Favors can move up the depth chart. Behind them will be rookie 7'1 rookie Rudy Gobert. Earl Watson has left the team, but the Jazz acquired ninth overall pick of the 2013 NBA Draft Trey Burke to add to their point guard depth. Joining the Jazz will be veterans Richard Jefferson, Andris Biedrins and Brandon Rush, who were all sent to Utah when the Golden State Warriors cleared cap space to sign Andre Iguodala. Randy Foye was sent to the Denver Nuggets as part of the Iguodala transaction, as well as Kevin Murphy to the Warriors.
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