The Denver Nuggets have undergone a roster makeover this season. Their first major move was trading Will Barton and Monte Morris for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope from the Washington Wizards. As distasteful as it was sending away two fan favorites, Denver was able to address their perimeter defense with this move. Do not forget how instrumental he was to the Lakers’ success two seasons ago when they won the title.
After that, they made the most questionable move of their offseason. When they could have easily brought back DeMarcus Cousins after having a bit of a bounce-back year, they signed Deandre Jordan to be their backup center for the upcoming season. The argument can be made that Jordan should not even be on an active roster anymore, especially after being sent away from the Lakers mid-season.
Denver’s Interesting Offseason
The next free agency move for the Denver Nuggets was arguably the most underrated move of the entire offseason. To help address their perimeter defense even more, especially off the bench, they signed Bruce Brown to a two-year deal. Bruce Brown was arguably the most important role player to the Brooklyn Nets the past two seasons. This past year, he averaged a career-high 9.0 points, 1.1 steals, and a defensive rating of 111. He will provide a major boost to the Nuggets’ bench, a major weakness of Denver’s squad last year.
The Nuggets then turned their attention to the NBA Draft. Their first pick was Christain Braun from the defending NCAA champion, Kansas Jayhawks. Denver hopes he can become the point of attack defender they have desperately needed the past couple of seasons. They also selected Peyton Watson from UCLA with hopes he can become a solid three and D wing for them in the near future. Despite all of these moves, the Denver Nuggets may have one more trick up their sleeves according to many league executives.
Reports Saying the Denver Nuggets Could Explore a Carmelo Anthony Reunion
Just when things could not get any crazier in the league, there may be a reunion of sorts in the cards. Per @AmicoHoops on Twitter, the speculation around the NBA is that the team could explore bringing back Carmelo Anthony. Considering how bitter some Nuggets fans are about the whole Melo situation that occurred back in the day, this would be a very interesting situation. There is some merit to this potential signing regardless of your views on the 10-time All-Star and six-time All-NBA Team member.
Speculation around the league is that the Nuggets could potentially look into signing Carmelo Anthony, per @AmicoHoops pic.twitter.com/TV2WSzYxqR
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) August 13, 2022
The Denver Nuggets could definitely use their former franchise cornerstone coming off the bench. In recent years, Melo has finally embraced a bench role and has been quite good at it. Last season with the Lakers, he still averaged a healthy 13.3 points to go along with 4.2 total rebounds per game. The Nuggets’ second unit could definitely use the scoring punch, especially if head coach, Michael Malone decides to experiment with Bones Hyland in the starting rotation.
Carmelo Anthony could become a solid 15-point-per-game scorer off the bench for Denver. With the Nuggets deciding to not re-sign DeMarcus Cousins, he could fill some of the void left by him. Not to mention, it will give Melo a solid chance to add a ring to his resume with the Nuggets being a sleeper for next year’s NBA Finals. Whether the reports are accurate or not, it is an avenue the Denver Nuggets should explore.
