Nuggets front office aims to maximize Nikola Jokic’s prime, weighing a veteran buyout that could bring floor-spacing and intangibles to the roster. Kevin Love’s expiring deal and buyout chatter, tied to a three-team swap that rearranges Norman Powell, John Collins and Kyle Anderson, looms as a potential upgrade option for Denver’s depth. Cam Johnson’s arrival and Jokic-led core still dominate the rotation, but Denver’s bench could shift if Love links with a contender this fall.

The deal lattice—Heat, Jazz and Clippers exchanging Powell, Collins and Love—creates a chessboard where Denver’s best path to title contention is a balanced mix of Jokic’s prime years, Gordon’s versatility, and wing shooting. Denver’s depth at power forward/center includes Aaron Gordon, Cam Johnson, Jonas Valanciunas, and young wings Peyton Watson and Julian Strawther, with DaRon Holmes II and Hunter Tyson providing upside. Love’s veteran presence could stabilize the second unit and add insurance in the postseason, should the buyout materialize.

Durando’s note that Adelman’s Minnesota ties and Love’s willingness to chase a contender keep the narrative alive. Whether Love signs with Denver or merely remains a foil in the front-office chatter, the Nuggets’ path remains clear: sustain Jokic’s peak years, improve spacing, and trust the developmental curve of the youth on hand. The market signal is that Denver won’t stand pat as Jokic ages toward legacy status.

Westbrook remains unsigned late in the off-season after a 2024-25 Denver run that showed he can still contribute in spurts, but not at prime level. His intensity is framed as his kryptonite under pressure, with a locker-room flare-up in Denver fueling questions about fit in a shortened rotation. Sacramento and Denver reportedly circle, with Monk and Devin Carter as possible cap-space pivots. The piece also touches on Harden’s playoff peak as a contrast to Westbrook’s current path.

Fantasy takeaway: Westbrook can provide instant offense and playmaking in short bursts for a contender, but his fit is high-risk and bench-roles may limit long-term appeal. His next destination remains wide open, with teams weighing usage, defense, and chemistry as much as production.

Denver reshapes its roster around Jokic, Murray and Gordon by trading Michael Porter Jr. to Brooklyn for Cameron Johnson, freeing cap space to sign Bruce Brown and Tim Hardaway Jr. and adding Jonas Valanciunas from Sacramento. The goal is a deeper, more versatile bench that can sustain playoff runs without overburdening the core. Westbrook isn’t expected back, and Sacramento is viewed as the favorite to sign him as a potential late–season spark for a competing squad. The coaching shift from Malone to Adelman could further influence how minutes are distributed and which role players emerge as fantasy sleepers.

Cameron Johnson’s floor spacing, Brown’s guard versatility, Hardaway Jr.’s shooting, and Valanciunas’s inside presence give Jokic more options and lift the Nuggets’ depth. For fantasy, Jokic and Murray remain the anchors, while the new pieces shift value across the roster—especially Brown, Johnson, and Valanciunas—who could become steady fantasy contributors if minutes hold or increase. Westbrook’s departure opens a path for the Nuggets to lean more on their core and rotation pieces rather than streaming a heavy sixth man workload.

The Denver Post’s All-Quarter Century Nuggets Team honors the franchise’s 25-year arc, pairing recent dominance with historic legends. First Team selections pull from peak and legacy: Chauncey Billups, Jamal Murray, Carmelo Anthony, Aaron Gordon and Nikola Jokic. The blend captures playoff breakthroughs, game-changing performances, and Jokic’s evolving, transformative era. Murray’s rise as a closing-time playoff threat sits beside Jokic’s unrivaled impact, while Gordon’s versatility and Melo’s era-defining scoring anchor the lineup. The Second Team adds Ty Lawson, Allen Iverson, Michael Porter Jr., Nenê and Marcus Camby, with reserve vote-getters Andre Miller, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Danilo Gallinari, Kenyon Martin and Antonio McDyess rounding out the quarter-century panorama. The piece tracks a franchise that has reached 17 playoff berths, nine 50-win seasons, 12 playoff series and a culture shift from bleak to banner moments, while noting a Hall-of-Fame lineage among its selections. It’s a celebration of Colorado basketball’s ascent, anchored by Jokic’s era-defining dominance and a roster that blends relentless guard play, elite scoring, and two-way versatility across generations.

Beyond the on-court milestones, the piece underscored the Nuggets’ unique identity: a championship in the modern era built around a player with rare vision and playmaking, a cast that rose to meet him, and a city that embraced every step of a storied, sometimes turbulent journey. The roster’s evolution—from Melo’s early promise to Jokic’s triple-doubles and clutch wins—embodies a franchise transformed. The piece ends by recognizing the collaborative nature of the voting panel and the enduring legacy of the Nuggets’ quarter-century run, a narrative that will continue to shape fantasy rosters and basketball discussions for years to come.