Denver reshapes its roster to maximize Jokic’s prime, shipping Porter Jr. to Brooklyn for Cam Johnson and adding Valanciunas, Brown, and Hardaway Jr. to deepen the rotation behind the MVP. Gordon signals a renewed defensive emphasis as the team leans on depth to ride out regular-season grind and keep Jokic fresh for postseason battles.

The newfound depth should ease Gordon’s burden and reduce heavy minutes on Jokic, while giving the Nuggets more lineups that can attack in multiple ways. With a healthier, more versatile squad, Denver aims to maintain elite performance from its core and navigate playoff rotations without blunting the star power at the center.

In short, Denver bets that a deeper bench and improved length translate to more sustainable success, fewer late-season drops, and a true title-ready run behind Jokic and a now more complete supporting cast.