The Denver Nuggets’ offseason has gone from rough to downright bleak, and the Minnesota Timberwolves may have played a bigger role in that than anyone expected.
Denver’s season already ended in ugly fashion, falling in six games to an extremely injured Wolves team. Since then, the roster has kept bleeding pieces.
Tim Hardaway Jr. is gone to the Miami Heat, Jonas Valanciunas is overseas, and yesterday brought another hit: the Nuggets had to sign-and-trade Peyton Watson, their best young asset, to the Cleveland Cavaliers. In return, they got a 2031 first-round pick and a 2032 second-round pick, a package dictated by how tight things have gotten financially.
Nikola Jokic isn’t going anywhere, but the bigger picture has turned increasingly sour since the 2023 title. The way Denver has handled the back end of Jokic’s prime has been, to put it mildly, rough.
And the Wolves have been right in the middle of it. Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels and the rest of Minnesota’s group have had Denver’s number in recent seasons, and the question now is whether they’ve effectively closed the book on what was supposed to be a perennial NBA power.
Minnesota exposed a lot of what makes the Nuggets vulnerable. Their perimeter defense is a mess, maybe even a bottom-five unit in the league.
Aaron Gordon can defend, but health has been a recurring issue for him. Christian Braun has the reputation of being a strong defender, but the source of that reputation doesn’t always show up on the floor.
Watson may have been Denver’s best and most versatile defender, and now he’s gone too.
That leaves the Nuggets in a tough spot. If you can’t stop teams on the perimeter and you’re relying on Jokic as your rim protection, you’d better have an offense that barely ever slips.
Denver did have the league’s No. 1 offense last season, but the playoffs showed it could be slowed down by elite point-of-attack defenders like McDaniels, Jaylen Clark and Ayo Dosunmu. Rudy Gobert anchoring the back line only made that job harder.
There’s also the matter of how much Minnesota has stripped away from the Nuggets’ image as a contender. Denver is still treated like a threat because Jokic is there, and that alone carries real weight. But the recent playoff losses, combined with the steady drain of talent and almost no clean path to improve, make that label harder to defend.
The latest move only sharpens the concern. The Nuggets are stuck with Braun’s contract for the next five years, and they don’t have tradeable picks or quality young players to work with. They even took a team that beat them in that series and gave up three rotational players while adding just one in Marvin Bagley III.
The championship is in the books, and that part of the mission was completed. But the future looks awfully thin now, and it feels like the Wolves may have shut the door on what could have been Denver’s last true shot.
In Other News...
Chris Finch Just Tied A Vikings QB Debate To Wolves Fans Frustration
The Vikings wrapped up a joint practice with the Ravens this week as they get set for their Week 2 preseason game, and Kevin OConnell clarified where the quarterback picture stands for now. J.J. McCarthy is the backup and is expected to start the upcoming game, while the starter will not be available, keeping Minnesotas quarterback conversation very much alive as the preseason moves along.
Chris Finch, meanwhile, offered a pointed basketball parallel that should resonate with Timberwolves fans who have seen enough young-player growing pains to know how fragile development can be. The Wolves coach tied McCarthys situation to the way former Timberwolves guard Rob Dillingham was brought along, suggesting both were placed in spots that may have made it harder to grow at the right pace. [Read more 🡒]
Anthony Edwards Faces Another Costly Off-Court Spotlight
Anthony Edwards is back in an off-court story that carries real financial stakes, with a court sorting out support for his family obligations as the Timberwolves try to keep their focus on the floor. Edwards had already agreed to pay child support for another child with a different woman, and this latest case adds another layer to a situation that has been developing away from basketball.
The matter involving Alexandria Descroches also comes with additional court requirements beyond the monthly support payments, underscoring how much is still being resolved outside the game. For a player whose profile has grown with Minnesota, the attention now shifts to how these obligations will be handled and what comes next as this latest legal thread continues to unfold. [Read more 🡒]
Tim Connelly Just Became A Huge Wolves Ownership Story
Marc Lores decision to sell his controlling interest in the Timberwolves and Lynx to Marc Stad adds another layer to a franchise that has already spent plenty of time sorting out its future. Stad was already in the ownership mix, so this is more of a shift in control than a wholesale change in direction, but any transition at the top naturally turns the spotlight back to the people steering basketball decisions.
One of the biggest names in that conversation is Tim Connelly, who has made clear he is committed to Minnesota. His standing with the new ownership group now matters even more, though, because his long-term status is still not settled and the next chapter will depend on how quickly the sides can turn that interest into a new agreement. [Read more 🡒]