On February 27, in the midst of a 20-39 start, the Denver Nuggets broke a huddle by counting down to the end of the 2014-15 season, "One, two, three ... six weeks!" It was a low point in a season of lows for the Nuggets, who fired coach Brian Shaw days later. They rebounded slightly to finish the season 30-52, but they missed the playoffs for the second consecutive year.
The Nuggets’ roster could stay the same, and that’s not a bad thing
Even after a somewhat eventful offseason, the Nuggets’ roster remains similar to last year’s. Can that change, or is the new culture of Michael Malone enough?
Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports
The offseason was expected to be an eventful one. The Nuggets got straight to work overhauling the coaching staff and front office, hiring former Kings coach Mike Malone along with Sacramento’s former GM Pete D’Alessandro as vice president of basketball operations
The roster, however, remains much the same as the one in place at the end of the 2015 season -- after the Nuggets traded Timofey Mozgov and Arron Afflalo midseason. They drafted Emmanuel Mudiay seventh overall in the NBA Draft, but aside from that pick, not much has changed.
They have been in the midst of plenty of rumors involving Ty Lawson and Danilo Gallinari, but so far, nothing has materialized. Can that change before the season starts?
Here’s a look at the Nuggets’ offseason options and the expectations moving forward. What’s going to be different from 2015?
Will Lawson be a Nugget?
Lawson was Denver’s leading scorer and playmaker last year, averaging 15.2 points and 9.6 assists per game. But there were rumors he was leaving the Nuggets in the offseason -- especially after the Nuggets drafted Mudiay. Not many teams were showing interest in Lawson, however. And then he was arrested for DUI on July 14, his second DUI this year.
His trade value was supposed to plummet even more. But teams are still interested.
The Houston Rockets, Detroit Pistons and Los Angeles Lakers have expressed interest in trading for the point guard, according to Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated. The Kings, who are coached by ex-Nuggets coach George Karl are reportedly in the mix as well. Prior to the DUI, the Nuggets were asking for a first-round pick and a young player, according to Yahoo Sports.
Still, with all the off-court red flags, it’s likely Lawson isn’t going anywhere. If so, Malone is going to have to find a way to pair Lawson and Mudiay together.
It’s not something he seems too worried about. In an interview with Grantland’s Zach Lowe, Malone said he expects Lawson to be ready to play for the Nuggets by the start of the season.
“Look at the game now, and look at the Finals,” Malone told Lowe. “It’s no longer, ‘You’re a point guard, you’re a 2-guard.’ You put your best players out there. Ty and Emmanuel can get wherever they want off the dribble, and Emmanuel is big enough to guard 2-guards on defense.”
If Lawson is with the Nuggets, there will be a place for him on the court under Malone.
Who can the Nuggets trade?
Like Lawson, Gallinari has been mentioned in trade rumors throughout the summer. The Celtics were rumored to express interest in the playmaking forward, according to Marc Spears of Yahoo Sports.
But now, it appears, the Nuggets are trying to extend Gallinari's contract, according to Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post.
Gallinari will be an unrestricted free agent next summer. If he signs a new deal, it would kick in at the start of the 2016-17 season. The Nuggets signed Wilson Chandler to an extension through 2019 and Kenneth Faried is signed on until 2019, too. Denver would be setting their core with Gallinari, Chandler, Faried and Mudiay going forward.
If the Nuggets are going to keep Gallinari and Lawson, it doesn’t appear that they have many other players on the trading block.
In the Lawson trade talks, the Nuggets were seeking youth. Jusuf Nurkic and Gary Harris are still developing on their rookie deals, so they are likely staying put. The Nuggets have plenty of players with expiring deals: J.J. Hickson, Randy Foye, Ian Clark and Jamaal Franklin -- players who aren't going to generate much interest.
Hickson and Foye are the two players most likely to be included in a deal, according to Dempsey, who also reported that the Nuggets are trying to make trades, but they are struggling to find suitors.
Unless Denver is going to deal Lawson or Gallnari, it seems the roster is pretty well set.
That might not be the worst thing.
The Mike Malone effect
So far, every rumor swirling around the Nuggets' roster has remained a rumor. But there still is room for hope. The new coach as a lot to do with that. He led the Kings to a 9-6 start last season before DeMarcus Cousins fell ill and Sacramento began to struggle. Malone was consequently fired, despite the approval of Cousins, the team's biggest star.
The work he did with Cousins, however, has Nuggets fans believing he can turn this Denver team around. Malone has that belief, too.
In his interview with Grantland’s Lowe, Malone said he wants the Nuggets to run and gun while playing hard on the defensive side of the court. He wants the Nuggets to “defend, run, and use the altitude” of Denver, saying that he believes it can be a top-10 defensive unit.
Malone also believes Faried can be a defender similar to Draymond Green, with the speed to guard pretty much any position. "What Kenneth has," Malone said, "you can't teach. He has that motor. That's why he's made it in the NBA. Now, we just have to make sure he's playing with that motor on defense."
There is still a chance that big changes are coming for the Nuggets. But for now, Malone and the franchise are pushing forward with a team that has talent, even if they haven’t shown it in recent years.
With a starting lineup including Lawson, Mudiay, Gallinari, Chandler and Faried, the Nuggets are a formidable bunch. They have the tools to run and gun while playing strong defense under Malone. Roster changes or not, there is hope for the future of the Denver Nuggets -- perhaps even this year.
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