Mar 6, 2023; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets center Thomas Bryant (13) gestures in the second quarter against the Toronto Raptors at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
The Nuggets finished a magical season with the first NBA title in franchise history. Once the celebrating is done, it will be time to tweak the roster for next season.
The Miami Heat gave the Denver Nuggets a stiff challenge in the NBA Finals but in the end, Denver only needed five games to come away with their first title. Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray will get plenty of accolades but this entire roster made key contributions throughout the season and role players like Bruce Brown, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Aaron Gordon all came up with huge plays to help close it out.
Shrewd roster construction was essential for this Nuggets’ title and even before the parade route is set, the offseason work begins — figuring out how to upgrade for next season. That may mean, unfortunately, that some talented contributors and beloved veterans may not be back next year.
Denver Nuggets who won’t be back next season: 3. Thomas Bryant
Thomas Bryant got himself a ring this season but at the expense of plenty of playing time. He was averaging 12.1 points and 6.8 rebounds per game for the Los Angeles Lakers on a 71.2 true shooting percentage. But he wanted more playing time and asked to be traded before the deadline. The Lakers sent him to Denver where he appeared in just 18 games over the rest of the regular season and just a single appearance in the postseason.
Bryant looked like a great deadline pickup for the Nuggets but they didn’t need him down the stretch and, as an expiring contract, his time in Denver is probably over. Bryant will almost certainly be looking for a bigger opportunity and more money than the Nuggets will have for him. He may have inadvertently blown up half a season for himself but at least he’ll be able to call himself an NBA champion.