The NBA Has A SERIOUS Denver Nuggets Problem…

The NBA Has A SERIOUS Denver Nuggets Problem…

This is a big move for Denver, but this is the biggest transaction they’ve made in years. Cam Johnson was pretty much the the most coveted wing on the trade market. Teams have been trying to get Cam out of Brooklyn for a year now. Um, he is a high character guy. Plays both ends of the court. Shoots the three. Well, after another disappointing playoff run from Michael Porter Jr., Denver finally pulled the trigger. June 30th, 2025, the trade everyone was debating actually happened. and what the Nuggets got back. Nobody saw this coming. They turned Michael Porter Jr’s bloated contract into Cam Johnson’s elite shooting. Johnson deep one next. Cam Johnson
brought back finals hero Bruce Brown and saved $36 million in the process. Within a couple of hours, Denver went from capped out and stuck to flexible and dangerous. And nobody’s talking about it yet. Let’s talk about addition by subtraction because on paper trading Michael Porter Jr., a 27year-old averaging 18 points on 39% three-point shooting seems insane. This is a guy Denver gave $180 million extension to a guy who was supposed to be their third star. But here’s what the box score doesn’t tell you. 2526 $38 million. 26 27 $40 million. That’s a total of $78 million remaining. That’s not a contract. That’s a financial prison. And let’s be real about the elephant in the room, availability. MPJ has missed 187 games in his 6-year career. That’s over two full seasons of games. You can’t help your team win a championship from the trainers table. But the real issue bit. Watch MPJ play alongside Jokic. He’s a shooter who needs the ball in his hands to get in rhythm. He’s not a cutter. He’s not a screener. He’s not moving without the ball. He’s standing in the corner waiting for his turn. That’s not how you maximize Nicola Joic. That’s not how you win championships. Enter Cam Johnson. The Nuggets just acquired a player shoots 39.2% from three for his career, shoots 41% from three in the playoffs, cost $20 million next year, and has missed just 48 games in his entire 6-year career. That’s a $13 million saving right now. But it gets better. Over the next 3 years, MPJ would cost $78 million. Cam Johnson costs 42 million. That’s a saving of 36 million. What can you do with that money? Oh, I don’t know. Maybe bring back a final hero. But here’s the basketball genius of this move. Cam Johnson isn’t just cheaper. He’s better for what Denver needs. Look at these numbers. They’re both 39% three-point shooters in the regular season, but in the playoffs, Cam Johnson is 41%. And this year, MPJ was just 34%. Turnover rate 7.8% for Johnson versus 9.2% for MPJ. Assist rate 13.1% for Johnson and 6.4% for MPJ. Johnson moves the ball, Johnson cuts, Johnson gets it. Think about Jokic for a second. the best passing big man in NBA history. A guy who sees three passes, three moves ahead like he’s playing chess while everyone else is playing checkers.
Watch him. He’s looking at Will Barton right there. That is just beautiful.
What does he need? Guys who move, guys who cut, guys who understand spacing. That’s Cam Johnson’s entire game. Remember, this is a Nuggets team that can be an offensive masterpiece with Jokic in charge. They don’t need another guy standing still. They need motion. They need high IQ. They need someone who makes the right play every single time. And in the playoffs, when it matters most, Johnson shot 41% from three. That’s not just good, that’s elite. That’s defenses have to guard you at all times good. That’s creating space for Joic to operate. Good. But wait, if saving $36 million was so important, what did Denver do with that money? They brought back someone who knows exactly how to win with this call. June 8th, 2023, NBA Finals, game four. The Nuggets lead the series 2-1, but the pressure is on. This is the swing game. Win and your one victory from a championship. Lose and it’s a tied series with Miami gaining momentum. And then Bruce Brown happens. 21 points, eight of 11 shooting, three of five from three. 11 points in the final 5 minutes, the Dagger three-pointer that sealed it. The Nuggets go up 3-1 and never look back. Here’s what most people don’t remember. In those crucial final minutes, Mike Malone benched Michael Porter Jr. for Bruce Brown. Let that sink in. When the championship was on the line, the Nuggets chose the $6 million role player over the $35 million Max guy, and it worked. But Bruce Brown isn’t just about one game. He’s about everything the Nuggets have been missing since he left. Let me paint you a picture of what makes this dude special. 6’4, but plays like he’s 7 ft tall. Guards positions 1 through 5. Yes, including centers. 6’9 wingspan on a 6’4 frame. Rock solid 200 lb of I’m not backing down. In 232 24, Brown was one of only five players in the entire NBA with 160 plus deflections and fewer than 1,800 minutes. That’s not effort. That’s not hustle. That’s elite defensive instincts. But here’s what makes Bruce Brown truly special. He’s the anti-modern NBA player. In a league obsessed with three-pointers, Brown takes just 15% of his shots from deep. He’s bottom 5% among forwards in three-point attempts. So, what does he do instead? Everything else. Watch this man set screens, not normal screens. Bruce Brown screens like his family’s life depends on him. He prefers setting screens for Jokic over handling the ball himself. Name another guard in the NBA who does that. I’ll wait. 68% of his shots come in the paint. Again, this is a six ball guard, but he’s mastered the art of cutting, finishing, and creating chaos around the rim. Now, let’s talk about why Denver desperately needed him back. 24-25 playoffs, Nuggets benched averaged just 14.8 points per game. 2023 championship run, Bruce Brown alone averaged 12 points coming off the bench. Their entire bench barely outscored what Bruce Brown gave them by himself in 2023. That’s not a stat, that’s a crisis. And here’s the thing about Bruce Brown. He’s never been the same since leaving Denver. 2023 with the Nuggets, 12 points per game in the playoffs. Championship 23-24 with the Pacers and Raptors. 10.8 points per game. Mr. Playoffs 2425 Raptors and Pelicans 8.3 points per game. Lottery teams. It’s like he’s Superman and Denver is his phone booth. He needs this system. This system needs him. The chemistry is already there. No learning curve, no adjustment period. Brown knows where Jokic wants him. Joic knows where Brown will be. It’s basketball telepathy developed over a championship run. And the best part, he’s only 28 years old. This isn’t some washed veteran chasing a ring. This is a player in his prime who already proved he can deliver when it matters most. So, Denver saves money, gets better shooting, and brings back their X factor. But what does this actually mean for the Western Conference? The answer should terrify every contender. So, let’s zoom out for a second. The Western Conference is a bloodbath. The Thunder just won the championship with their young core. The Timberwolves have Ant Edwards ascending. The Rockets just added Kevin Durant to their young core. Everyone’s loading up. But what Denver just did, it’s different. It’s smarter. It’s sustainable. First, let’s talk about what these moves unlock. The Nuggets now have four or five different lineup combinations that all make sense. The death lineup, Murray, Bruce Brown, Johnson, Gordon, and Joic. Switching everything, shooting from everywhere. The defensive fortress, Brown, Brown, Johnson, Gordon, Jokic. Good luck scoring on this. The spacing lineup. Murray, Johnson, Strawther, Gordon, Jokic. 40% three-point shooting around Jokic. the chaos lineup. Murray, Brown, Brown, Gordon, and Jokic at the five running teams off the floor. But here’s the real genius, the financial flexibility. By saving $36 million over the next 2 years, Denver can stay under the luxury tax apron, use their full mid-level exception, actually continue to improve their bench, and keep their core together for longer. Denver finally got deeper and more flexible. And let’s not forget the most important factor. Nicola Jük is 30 years old and in his absolute prime. The man just averaged 29.6 points, 12.7 rebounds, 10.2 assist, and 41% from three. That’s statistically the best season of his career. And he did it all while making everything look effortless. Most teams get a 2 to threeyear championship window before the salary cap crushes them. Look at the Warriors. Look at the Bucks. Even look at Denver’s first championship team. They couldn’t keep it together. But these moves, they extend Denver’s windows another three plus years. Here’s why. Jokic signed through 2028. Murray signed through 2029. Gordon signed through 2029. Johnson costs roughly 40% less than MPJ. And Brown on a team-friendly deal. Now, let’s talk about Fit. Because talent doesn’t win championships. Fit wins championships. Cam Johnson with Jokic, 39% three-point shooter spreading the floor, a high IQ cutter who understands spacing, low turnover player who makes quick decisions, and playoff experience with deep Phoenix runs. Now, Bruce Brown with Joic, defensive Swiss Army knife covering for Joic. Elite screener creating space for Jokic. Chaos created in the paint opening up passing lanes and championship DNA from their 2023 run. The defensive upgrade alone changes everything. One of last year’s Denver Nuggets glaring weaknesses, perimeter defense. They couldn’t stay in front of quick guards. They couldn’t switch effectively. Now with Brown and Johnson’s 6’8 frame, they can switch one through four seamlessly. They can hide Murray on defense. They can throw different looks at opponents. And in clutch time, when games are decided, Denver now has Joic, obvious closer. Murray, proven clutch scorer. Gordon, proven clutch scorer. Johnson, 41% playoff three-point shooter. And Brown, proven playoff performer. Good luck game planning against that in a sevename series. The moves are made, the pieces fit. But here’s what should really scare the rest of the NBA. Think about the timing of all this. June 30th, one day, two moves, complete philosophical shift. While other teams are overpaying for marginal upgrades, while the new CBA is crushing team building flexibility, while everyone else is zigging, Denver just zagged. Look at what Denver just did. Dumped MPJ’s $35 million contract, added Johnson at $22 million, added Brown at the minimum, improved their team while saving roughly $13 million next year. That’s not normal. That’s not how NBA trades usually work. Teams typically have to overpay to get better. Denver just got better and cheaper. This is what happens when you have a front office that actually understands basketball. Denver just promoted Ben Tenza to executive VP of basketball operations and brought in Jonathan Wallace from Minnesota. New leadership, same championship mindset. They just played 4D chess while everyone else is playing checkers. But here’s the scariest part for the rest of the NBA. Denver isn’t done. They’ve also added Jonas Valenunis and Tim Hardaway Jr., both on minimum deals. Let that sink in. Valenunis gives them something they’ve never had in the Jokic era. A legitimate backup center who can actually play. We’re talking about a guy who averaged 10 points, seven rebounds in 18 minutes coming off the bench last season for Sacramento and Washington. When Joic sits, Denver won’t fall apart anymore. They have a 33-year-old veteran who started 645 NBA game, a bruiser who can punish smaller lineups, and Hardway, another three-point sharpshooter who shot 36% on six attempts plus for his career. Bench depth is no longer a problem for Denver. Starting caliber backup center, check. Elite shooting at every position, check. Proven playoff performance, check. All while staying under the luxury tax. Check. And at the center of it all, the most unselfish superstar in NBA history. A guy who makes everyone better. A guy who doesn’t care about stats. A guy who just wants to win. Nicola Joic with better shooting around him. Nightmare. Nicolola Joic with elite perimeter defense. Nightmare. Nicolola Jokic with players who actually cut and move. Nightmare. the rest of the league better be paying attention because this isn’t just about one season. This is about building something sustainable because what Denver just built isn’t just a team. It’s a system. A sustainable, repeatable, genius level system that maximizes their superstar while everyone else is still figuring out how to guard him. So, yeah, the NBA has a Denver Nuggets problem, but it’s not the problem you think. It’s not about having too much talent. It’s not about spending too much money. It’s about a team that just figured out how to build a serious title contender in the modern NBA. Michael Porter Jr. is a good player, but Cam Johnson is the right player. Bruce Brown isn’t an all-star, but he’s a championship player. And when you put that next to the best player in the world, that’s not just a good team, that’s a problem. The rest of the league is about to learn what Denver already knows. You don’t need three superstars. You don’t need a big three. You need the right pieces around a transcendent talent. And Denver, they just found them. The Nuggets aren’t just back. They’re better. They’re smarter. They’re deeper. The NBA has got a Denver Nuggets problem. All right. And it’s only getting worse. So, what do you think? Did Denver just build another championship team? Can the Nuggets seriously challenge OKC? Drop your takes in the comments below. And remember to like the video and subscribe for more basketball trade news.

The Denver Nuggets are making bold moves in the 2025 offseason, signaling their intent to remain top contenders in the NBA. In this video, we analyze the Nuggets’ recent trades and free-agent acquisitions that are reshaping their roster and potentially creating challenges for the rest of the league.

The Nuggets traded Michael Porter Jr. and an unprotected 2032 first-round pick to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Cameron Johnson. Johnson, coming off a career-best season averaging 18.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.4 assists, brings elite shooting and versatility to Denver’s lineup.

Denver also re-signed Bruce Brown Jr., a key contributor to their 2023 championship run, adding depth and defensive prowess to their backcourt.

In free agency, the Nuggets secured veteran guard Tim Hardaway Jr. on a one-year deal. Hardaway averaged 11.0 points per game last season, providing additional scoring and experience off the bench.

These strategic moves aim to bolster the Nuggets’ roster around MVP Nikola Jokić and maintain their competitive edge in the Western Conference.

👉 LIKE, COMMENT, and SUBSCRIBE for more NBA analysis, trade breakdowns, and basketball insights!

#denvernuggets DenverNuggets #NBAOffseason2025 #CameronJohnson #BruceBrown #TimHardawayJr #NBATrades #NBAFreeAgency #NikolaJokic #NBABasketball