Dissecting Denver Nuggets’ biggest needs after arguably the most impressive 2025 NBA Offseason

The Denver Nuggets have been one of the most active teams in the offseason. New VP of Basketball Operations Ben Tenzer hit the ground running by making a big splash right out of the gate, and the team looks way better than it did last season.

Considering that they took the eventual NBA champions to seven games and that they still have a top-three player in the league, that should be a scary thought for everybody else.

For those who need a quick recap, the Nuggets acquired the likes of Cam Johnson, Bruce Brown, Jonas Valanciunas and Tim Hardaway Jr. To get all of them, they traded a 2032 unprotected first-round pick, Dario Saric and Michael Porter Jr.

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On paper, the Nuggets look as stacked as they've ever been. However, even the best teams can be better, so we're going to take a look at the three things that could bolster this franchise's championship chances.

The Denver Nuggets still need a backup big

Jonas Valanciunas made the rounds for all the wrong reasons as soon as he was traded to Denver. There were multiple reports about mutual interest in signing with Greek powerhouse Panathinaikos, but he would have to be bought out of his contract first.

The Nuggets dismissed that narrative and made it loud and clear that they fully expect the Lithuanian big man to honor his contract. However, what if he's zoned out and not fully bought in?

We've seen him dominate with his physicality, and he averaged nearly 10 points and 8 boards in just 19 minutes per game last season. But if he's not fully there and just going through the motions, the Nuggets will need a legitimate backup for Nikola Jokic.

Julian Strawther's breakout season

The Nuggets trusted Christian Braun with a bigger role after Bruce Brown left, and even more when they lost Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Now, it's time Julian Strawther gets a longer leash.

He's shown flashes of impressive three-level scoring ability in his first two seasons in the league, and he's coming off doubling his scoring average from 4.5 to 9.0 points per game.

Strawther can be the type of player who scores 20+ off the bench on any given night, and with Jamal Murray's history of injuries, he should get more minutes off the bench to keep his teammate fresh for the postseason.

Keep the MLE

By trading Michael Porter Jr., the Nuggets will now have roughly $14 million for their mid-level trade exception. They could use it to sign another helpful role player, but they'd be better off keeping it.

That way, they could have enough flexibility to absorb a bigger contract at some point in the season. You never know who's going to be moved, and several enticing players are entering the final year of their contracts.

Adding a sharpshooter like Johnson will still maintaining salary-cap flexibility was a master move by the front office, and there's no need to rush anything and spend just for the sake of it right now.

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About the author

Ernesto Cova

Ernesto Cova is a journalist at Sportskeeda with a PhD in Sports Psychology. His education helped him develop a clearer understanding of the sports world as a whole, including basketball. Ernesto has over eight years of experience in the field, working for Fadeaway World, The Inquisitr, NBA Blast, The Cold Wire and Bolavip, among others.

His favorite team is the Chicago Bulls because of the Michael Jordan era. Jordan is Ernesto's all-time favorite, as he changed the game forever. Ernesto's second favorite was Kobe Bryant because he embodied that same competitive fire and Ernesto watched him play throughout his entire career. Nowadays, Ernesto really likes Stephen Curry, who he believes to be the most influential player of the past 15 years or so.

Ernesto's favorite basketball moment was when Venezuela -- his country -- took down Canada to take home the 2015 FIBA Americas Cup.

When not watching or writing about basketball, Ernesto likes to read and is interested in photography.

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