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In the 2024 NBA Playoffs, the Denver Nuggets’ season ended abruptly as they were defeated by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round. In 2023, the Nuggets had just won their first franchise championship, but they were unable to hold onto the trophy. Even though their season wasn’t very “successful,” it can be disheartening to come away from a strong season without a championship. But the Nuggets must start over in order to prepare for a repeat championship push in the upcoming campaign.
Most of the team’s core will still be there come next season. This implies that they just need to locate a few more pieces to complete their roster puzzle. Regretfully, the Nuggets lack the cap space necessary to acquire any marquee players in free agency. They might not have enough money to re-sign some of their free agents due to this short cap space as well. Here are a few of the top players that the Nuggets need to sign again.
Justin Holiday The Nuggets wasted no time in signing veteran small forward Justin Holiday off of the free-agent list following their championship victory. Holiday would agree to a one-year, about $3.2 million veteran minimum contract. Holiday played very little basketball for the Dallas Mavericks during his prior season.
Compared to his season with the Mavericks, Holiday would mainly play a bench role with the Nuggets, which gave him a little more playing time. During the Nuggets’ postseason run, Holiday’s playing time skyrocketed as he effectively took over for Peyton Watson. Holiday was brought in because Watson has not been nearly as productive as head coach Michael Malone had planned.
Holiday makes an offensive contribution as a reliable and effective scorer. Despite not being the team’s main offensive weapon, his ability to convert open shots and make deft play calls with the ball was crucial to the Nuggets’ postseason success. Even if Holiday’s stats weren’t very impressive, Malone was receiving better performance from him than from Watson, the younger player.
The Nuggets should try to get Holiday back on a veteran minimum contract for next season. With the young players on the Nuggets still finding their footing, Holiday could provide a blend of offensive and defensive versatility, while also bringing in his veteran experience.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
Technically, Caldwell-Pope is not a free agent. He has a player option worth $15.4M, which some analysts predict he will decline. Should Caldwell-Pope decline his player option, he will become a free agent. This doesn’t mean his time with the Nuggets is immediately over, though. The Nuggets would still be able to offer him a new contract. But as mentioned earlier, the Nuggets are seriously strapped for cash.
Caldwell-Pope’s tremendous perimeter defense and three-point shooting have made him an indispensable member of the Nuggets starting lineup. Caldwell-Pope is among the league’s top perimeter defenders defensively. He is able to effectively neutralize the best perimeter threats on the other team thanks to his great defensive instincts and versatility as a guard.
With so many offensive superstars in the Western Conference, the Nuggets might suffer if Caldwell-Pope were to go. Bruce Brown was a huge offensive loss for the Nuggets last season when they allowed him to depart in free agency. Will Caldwell-Pope be allowed to walk by the Nuggets and they will learn the hard way how much of a loss he is to the defense?
The Nuggets need to take a lot of things into account. The 31-year-old Caldwell-Pope had some injury setbacks the previous season. In addition, Caldwell-Pope averaged 10.1 points per game, 46% for field goals, and 40.6% for three-pointers. Would you think this was a strong enough performance to earn a new deal if you were the Nuggets? And is this showing good enough to start as a fifth guy in a lineup?
His defensive prowess and championship experience have been invaluable assets to Denver. There’s little doubt the Nuggets should think about bringing him back. At the appropriate cost, that is.
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