Only one thing is off the Nuggets’ table this offseason.
Last summer, Nuggets president Josh Kroenke tossed out the idea of trading Nikola Jokic as a possible worst-case scenario if the Nuggets ended up in the second apron salary cap and suffered an untimely injury. He didn’t make the same mistake Friday.
“Everything is going to be on the table – outside of trading Nikola,” Kroenke said at an earlier-than-expected, end-of-season press conference at Ball Arena. “I should be clear, because my words got twisted in an interesting way last summer.”
With the three-time Most Valuable Player rendered untouchable, Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon are the biggest names to monitor once the trade market heats up. Moving on from either won’t be easy. Murray’s coming off his best regular season and arguably worst postseason. Gordon has become a beloved figure at Ball Arena, but his availability has become an issue for a team that doesn’t have much margin for error.
“My job in this organization is to help make decisions without emotion,” Kroenke said.
“I love Aaron Gordon. I know that I think the world of him, just like the entire Nuggets nation does, but there are some things that we’re going to have to look at. This team looks a lot different when Aaron Gordon is healthy. I think everybody can acknowledge that. We need a healthy Aaron Gordon, so we need to figure out how to make the most of him and get the most out of his body for the benefit of the team, that’s for sure.”
Keeping the core together is another option. Depending on the extent the Nuggets decide to run it back would almost certainly leave the Nuggets in one of the punitive aprons. Denver could also reset its status as a “repeater” team by sitting below the apron for a second consecutive season.
“Everything is on the table. … if we deem running it back the most competitive thing that we can do for the roster, that’s probably what we’re going to be doing,” Kroenke said.
“The smartest teams can figure out how to stay competitive while having to make some of those cutthroat moves at different points in time.”
