Nuggets unexpectedly ‘saved’ the season with an unexpected miracle

Offseason grades are out, and The Athletic has given the Nuggets an A+. Several teams received A’s and A minuses, but Denver was the only team with a perfect grade for their work this summer. As Tony Jones wrote, “Denver, in my eyes, won the offseason”, noting that going from Michael Porter Jr. to Cam Johnson is “upgrading significantly.”

He went on to call the Tim Hardaway Jr. signing a “steal” and proclaimed Jonas Valanciunas to be the “best backup center Nikola Jokic has ever played with”, wrapping up his commentary by simply stating that “The Nuggets are loaded.”

It’s incredible to think that national NBA media is saying this about the Nuggets, but it’s even more incredible to consider the team’s outlook heading into the summer. Denver appeared stuck with no assets, no draft picks, no prospects, and no financial flexibility.

Nuggets pulled rabbit out of a hat

Yet, the front office was able to dump Michael Porter Jr.’s contract and add four meaningful rotation players without giving up more than one draft pick. Other teams that got high marks were in extremely fortunate positions or had things go their way.

For example, the Mavericks received an A grade, but that’s because they won the draft lottery and lucked into Cooper Flagg. The Thunder got an A, but they just won a title and were able to keep the entire roster intact. The Hawks got an A, but they benefited from one of the dumbest trades in NBA history made by the Pelicans.

And still, the Nuggets received a better great than every other team. They turned lemons into lemonade, and the masterminds behind it all, Jon Wallace and Ben Tenzer, deserve even more credit than they are getting.

Maybe the Nuggets will go on to win another championship this season, and maybe they won’t. But either way, as we sit here in early August, it’s impossible to say the front office hasn’t given this team as good a shot to compete as they could possibly hope for.

Going into this offseason, if you had told me that the Nuggets would be able to upgrade their starting lineup, build one of the deepest benches in the league, and actually lower their tax bill in the process, I would have called you a liar.

But here we are, and that’s exactly what has happened. It has been wonderful to watch this wild transformation occur in real time, and it’s only going to get better once the games start and we finally get to see this squad in action.