The NBA offseason is about to heat up.

Here are 10 takes on all things Nuggets past, present and future before the offseason really starts to sizzle.

1. Say goodbye to Brodie

Russell Westbrook is going to decline his player option worth $3.4 million for next season, according to multiple reports. Westbrook can still return for a second season in Denver and could get up to nearly $6 million from the Nuggets next season, but that shouldn’t be a consideration for the team’s next lead executive. If Westbrook, who turns 37 in November, doesn’t change his mind before his deadline in a couple of weeks, Denver shouldn’t offer him more than the veteran minimum to return. There are safer options at the same price point on the free-agent market.

Denver Nuggets guard Russell Westbrook opts for free agency

2. Hire from the outside

At this point, the Nuggets’ next lead executive should be an outside hire. Ownership has had plenty of time to evaluate the top internal candidates, interim general manager Ben Tenzer and assistant general manager Tommy Balcetis. While there wasn’t much for Tenzer, Balcetis and the rest of the front office to do over the final three games of the regular season and playoffs, the draft and free agency and quickly approaching in what’s a vital offseason for the franchise. If the next executive is Tenzer or Balcetis, both of whom are well-liked and well-respected around Denver, the Kroenkes have wasted valuable time establishing a new structure.

3. Bring back Bruce

If Westbrook doesn’t want to be a Nugget next season, there’s a fan favorite who might enjoy a return to Denver. Bruce Brown, who teased Nuggets fans by attending a playoff game at Ball Arena and said he missed playing in the playoffs, is about to be an unrestricted free agent. Brown can provide a lot of what Westbrook gave the Nuggets on the court, and he was well-liked in the locker room. Brown quickly went from underpaid to overpaid, making a $45 million over the last two seasons between Indiana and New Orleans. He made $6.5 million his lone season in Denver. The Nuggets’ new basketball decision-maker should see if they can reunite, but Brown will likely have more lucrative offers elsewhere.

4. Skip homecoming

At this rate the Knicks’ coaching search is going to reach Michael Malone sometime soon. New York fired Tom Thibodeau after losing to the Pacers in the Eastern Conference finals. Since then, the Knicks have been rebuked by a handful of teams with coaches under contract for next season and have reportedly since turned their attention to Taylor Jenkins, fired my Memphis late last season, and Mike Brown, who was fired by the Kings in December. If neither of those two work out, there’s plenty of reasons for Malone to be next up. He was born in Astoria, watched his father, Brendan, serve three stints as a Knicks assistant and followed in his dad’s footsteps as a New York assistant from 2001-05. Malone has the championship pedigree the Knicks seek, but he might be too similar to Thibodeau to offer the kind of fresh start the Knicks desire. A year spent cashing checks from ESPN and the Kroenkes is Malone’s best play next season.

5. Experienced assistants

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There’s going to be some fresh voices on David Adelman’s first staff, but we don’t know who they are yet. One of them should come with head-coaching experience. Most of the staff’s contracts expire at the end of the season, and Ryan Saunders, Charles Klask and Popeye Jones will not be back on the bench at Ball Arena. It feels like Ryan Bowen, Ognjen Stojakovic and Andrew Munson will be among those who keep their jobs and potentially earn a promotion. Adelman should use his long lists of basketball contacts to add a lead assistant with head coaching experience.

6. Back-up center stage

Denver’s inability to find a productive backup for Nikola Jokic has never been more obvious. Those tuning into the NBA Finals will see plenty of Isaiah Hartenstein and Thomas Bryant, two players who were previously tasked with playing the non-Jokic minutes. Hartenstein only played in 30 games for the Nuggets before Denver traded him to Cleveland for JaVale McGee. Bryant played in 18 games for the Nuggets after being part of the Bones Hyland trade during the 2023 deadline and left Denver with a ring. A couple of stops later, both former backups are playing meaningful minutes in the Finals. Jokic’s ability to play heavy minutes on a nightly basis and his unique play style complicate the job of his backup, but one of Adelman’s biggest tasks will be establishing a second-unit identity that fits with Jokic’s backup next season. It’s too much to ask of Aaron Gordon. DeAndre Jordan, a free agent who was the only other true center on Denver’s roster last season, hasn’t been an every-night player for as long as he’s been in Denver. It’s time for the Nuggets to get that role right.

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7. Breaking ground

The Kroenkes make the challenge of bringing players to Denver on team friendly contracts more difficult. A couple of years ago, team president Josh Kroenke said they hoped to have a new practice facility completed by the end of Jokic’s career. The clock is ticking, and the most meaningful development on that front came last week when it was reported Kroenke Sports and Entertainment was buying up land surrounding Ball Arena, including Elitch Gardens. That’s a long way with providing the Nuggets with a practice facility that’s up to NBA standards. As it stands, Denver’s practice court more closely resembles an auxiliary gym at a local high school. The Nuggets still have it better than the Avalanche, who often must drive down to Dove Valley to practice.

Kroenke Sports is now the sole owner of Elitch Gardens

8. The Holmes mystery

Nuggets fans should hope the team learned its lesson with Zeke Nnaji. DaRon Holmes II, like Nnaji, is best suited to play power forward in the NBA. The Nuggets have tried, and failed, to turn Nnaji into a serviceable back-up center over the first five years of his NBA career. His best moments last season came playing the four. Nnaji was listed at 6-foot-9 and 240 pounds last season. Holmes is an inch taller but 15 pounds lighter. Expecting Homes to contribute at the five as a rookie and a year removed for an Achilles tendon tear is unreasonable. The best plan is to develop Holmes at the four and addressing the back-up center position in a different manner, even if it means more minutes playing out of position for Nnaji.

9. Make Summer League meaningful

If the Nuggets are banking on some of their young players to turn into meaningful contributors next postseason, they should send a strong squad to Summer League with the expectation of competing for a (mostly meaningless) title in Las Vegas. The time for the Nuggets to operate on two timelines – balancing winning now and developing young talent for the years to come – should be over. Jalen Pickett, Hunter Tyson and Holmes need to be playing in Vegas. Julian Strawther’s on the fringe. Maybe the Vegas native is one of the few NBA players who want to play Summer League.

10. Less two-way turnover

Last season, the Nuggets saw former two-way players find success elsewhere. Collin Gillespie proved he was capable after leaving the Nuggets to sign a two-way contract with the Suns. Jay Huff turned his new opportunity in Memphis into a four-year contract. Last year’s crop of two-way players – Trey Alexander, PJ Hall and Spencer Jones – didn’t make strong impressions one way or another in their limited minutes, but the Nuggets should bring back Alexander and Hall for another year of development at positions of need. The final two-way spot should go to a young free agent from the league unless there’s an obvious choice in the pool of undrafted players.