Nikola Jokić secured his place as the greatest player in Nuggets history and one of the best centers to ever play in the NBA on June 12, 2023. With Denver up 3–1 in its NBA Finals series against the Heat, Jokić led all scorers with 28 points, knocking down 12-of-16 shots from the field, while grabbing 16 rebounds and dishing out four assists in a 94–89 win.
The Game 5 victory secured the Nuggets' first NBA championship, and capped one of the most dominant runs in NBA history for Jokić, who became the first player to lead the league in points, rebounds and assists for an entire postseason.
Jokić already has a Hall of Fame résumé, with three league MVPs and a Finals MVP on his ledger. Another championship would help him climb the ranks of the league's legendary players. Denver has fallen short the last two seasons, with back-to-back Game 7 losses in the conference semifinals—to the Timberwolves in 2024 and eventual champion Thunder in '25.
The Nuggets have rehauled the roster, coaching staff and front office over the last few months in hopes that Joker can lead them to another championship. Ahead of Denver's season opener at the Warriors on Thursday night, here is a look at the moves the franchise made over the last few months and whether the Nuggets remain in championship contention.
Nuggets hope bold coaching, GM moves will jumpstart franchise after late-season firing of Michael Malone, Calvin Booth
The Nuggets were in fourth place in the Western Conference with a 47–32 record when ownership decided to pull the plug on the coach and general manager that led them to an NBA title less than two years prior.
Coach Michael Malone and general manager Calvin Booth were fired on April 8, with just three games remaining in the regular season. The news stunned the NBA world, both for the timing and the fact that the highly successful pair was fired at all. Josh Kroenke, vice chairman of Denver's ownership group Kroenke Sports and Entertainment, stated that the move was made to give the 2024–25 team the best chance of winning the title. That didn't happen, but ownership was evidently pleased with what it saw out of interim coach David Adelman, who had the interim tag removed after the season.
David Adelman was promoted to full-time Nuggets head coach after the 2024–25 season
Adelman, 44, had been with the Nuggets since 2017, serving as an assistant under Malone. Denver snapped a four-game losing streak after Adelman took over, finishing the regular season 3–0. They remained in the No. 4 seed, beating the Clippers in seven games in the first round before falling to Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals. Kroenke determined that Adelman showed enough during the run, and made him the full-time coach.
“Part of the thinking of making the change when we made it was to give David a chance,” Kroenke said of the decision. “He’s grown with the group and he understands their tendencies as players. I think equally important right now … is he knows them as people, what makes them tick."
Nuggets front office is now led by a pair of executive vice presidents, rather than one GM
Denver went in a unique direction in replacing Booth. Rather than name a single general manager, the Nuggets have split those lead front office duties between a pair of executive vice presidents.
Ben Tenzer, who was with the organization as vice president of basketball operations, received a title bump and continues to oversee the salary cap and roster construction. He's joined by Jonathan Wallace, the team's new executive vice president of player personnel. Wallace returns to Denver, where he previously worked as scouting coordinator before taking a job with Minnesota as director of player personnel. Wallace played at Georgetown before a brief G League and international career that he parlayed into front office work. He'll leverage his relationships across basketball in helping build the Nuggets franchise. Both will have a say in the organization's moves, Kroenke indicated after the hires.
"From the outside looking in, sometimes people have a false sense of how things actually go down in the professional sports world," Kroenke said, via ESPN. "Sometimes, that's owner talking to owner. Sometimes, that's president talking to president. That's basketball operation staff talking to basketball operations staff. There's a lot of different ways that deals get done in the NBA. A lot of that is through relationships."
Nuggets swapped Michael Porter Jr. for Cameron Johnson in trade with Nets
The most significant move that Denver's new braintrust managed in the offseason came just weeks after they took on their new roles. In a move with a Nets franchise desperate to compile draft capital, the Nuggets sent Michael Porter Jr.—one of the team's top scorers but one who has struggled to stay healthy through his career—for the more dependable Cameron Johnson. Denver sent a 2032 unprotected first-rounder in the deal.
Porter Jr. was a key piece of the 2023 championship team, but the more than $79 million left on his contract over the next two seasons became a burden on Denver's salary cap flexibility. Johnson will make just over half of what Porter is owed, while providing a similar shooting threat and much more defensive flexibility. Johnson can guard four positions, and grades much higher on that end of the court than Porter.
More: Michael Porter Jr.-Cam Johnson Trade Grades—How Did Nuggets, Nets Fare?
After moving Porter's salary, the Nuggets brought back Bruce Brown, signed Tim Hardaway Jr.
The Nuggets front office wasted little time in taking advantage of their newfound flexibility. One day after the trade went through, they signed Bruce Brown, a beloved rotational guard who played a major role on the 2023 title team. Brown averaged 12 points per game for Denver during the 2023 postseason, and like Johnson, adds serious versatility to the backcourt.
The next day, the Nuggets signed another guard to add to its depth—Tim Hardaway Jr. The veteran joins his fifth franchise after starting for the Pistons a year ago, averaging 11 points per game and knocking down 36.8% of his threes.
Brown will make just over $3 million this season, while Hardaway Jr. is set to make over $3.6 million.
Denver finds its Nikola Jokić backup in trade for Jonas Valančiūnas
Replacing a talent like Jokić in the lineup is nearly impossible. No franchise runs its offense through a big man the way the Nuggets do through Jokić, who on top of his physical dominance in the paint is one of the league's most deft passers.
Finding a backup center for Jokić is extremely difficult, but Denver did an impressive job by adding veteran Jonas Valančiūnas via trade with the Kings, sending Dario Šarić to Sacramento. The Lithuanian big man has been a rock solid NBA center since the Raptors took him with the No. 5 pick in 2012.
The move didn't occur without some drama. Valančiūnas had been toying with the idea of returning to Europe to play with Greek side Panathinaikos in order to be closer to home, but ultimately said he would honor his contract and play for the Nuggets.
While no one can replace Jokić, Valančiūnas should allow Denver to maintain a solid presence down low when the former MVP needs a breather.
"He has a game in which you don't have to really change your offensive approach. Still can play from the elbows. You can still play from the top of the key and get guys involved. Defensively, he's a juggernaut in the sense that he can both play above and below the rim with his strength and size," Wallace told NBA.com. "You get a chance to kind of mirror your approach."
Can the new-look Nuggets win another NBA title?
With Jokić, anything is possible. The Serbian superstar had a strong case to win his fourth MVP last year, ultimtaely getting edged out by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. If he stays healthy and, at 30, remains in his impressive prime, Denver should be in the mix virtually every year.
Under new leadership, the Nuggets did an impressive job adding pieces that complement Joker as well as give the team added depth and versatility. The biggest additions—Johnson, Brown, Hardaway and Valančiūnas—should all give Adelman more effective lineup options, especially once postseason play rolls around. They join established Denver stars like guard Jamal Murray—who has burnished a reputation as one of the league's most clutch playoff guards—as well as young sharpshooter Christian Braun, who enters his third year and just signed his first significant contract extension, and do-it-all forward Aaron Gordon.
Of course, nothing is given—especially coming out of the rough Western Conference. The defending champion Thunder bring back their young core, the Rockets have leveled up with Kevin Durant and the Timberwolves already have playoff experience toppling Jokić & Co. After Wednesday night's Spurs game, the Victor Wembanyama era may be upon us. Expect Denver to be a serious player though, and at +650 to win the NBA Finals, they are tied for the second-best odds to return to the throne.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Can the Nuggets Win Another Title With Nikola Jokić? Assessing Recent Moves.