The NBA offseason is about to heat up.<\/p>\n
Here are 10 takes on all things Nuggets past, present and future before the offseason really starts to sizzle.<\/p>\n
1. Say goodbye to Brodie<\/p>\n
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\u2019t be a consideration for the team\u2019s next lead executive. If Westbrook, who turns 37 in November, doesn\u2019t change his mind before his deadline in a couple of weeks, Denver shouldn\u2019t offer him more than the veteran minimum to return. There are safer options at the same price point on the free-agent market.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Denver Nuggets guard Russell Westbrook opts for free agency<\/a><\/p>\n 2. Hire from the outside<\/p>\n At this point, the Nuggets\u2019 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\u2019t 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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n 3. Bring back Bruce<\/p>\n If Westbrook doesn\u2019t want to be a Nugget next season, there\u2019s 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\u2019 new basketball decision-maker should see if they can reunite, but Brown will likely have more lucrative offers elsewhere.<\/p>\n 4. Skip homecoming<\/p>\n At this rate the Knicks\u2019 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\u2019s 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\u2019s 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\u2019s best play next season.<\/p>\n 5. Experienced assistants<\/p>\n \n Your daily report on everything sports in Colorado – covering the Denver Broncos, Denver Nuggets, Colorado Avalanche, and columns from Woody Paige and Paul Klee.\n <\/p>\n Success! Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter.<\/p>\n There\u2019s going to be some fresh voices on David Adelman\u2019s first staff, but we don\u2019t know who they are yet. One of them should come with head-coaching experience. Most of the staff\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n 6. Back-up center stage<\/p>\n Denver\u2019s 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\u2019s ability to play heavy minutes on a nightly basis and his unique play style complicate the job of his backup, but one of Adelman\u2019s biggest tasks will be establishing a second-unit identity that fits with Jokic\u2019s backup next season. It\u2019s too much to ask of Aaron Gordon. DeAndre Jordan, a free agent who was the only other true center on Denver\u2019s roster last season, hasn\u2019t been an every-night player for as long as he\u2019s been in Denver. It\u2019s time for the Nuggets to get that role right.<\/p>\n