The Whiteboard: The Denver Nuggets swing for the fences

The Denver Nuggets were not a playoff team last season, but they’re still swinging for the fences at every turn.

The Denver Nuggets are not interested in simply being a team that makes the postseason without crossing the threshold to being a true contender. The Nuggets have a promising young core and were literally a game away from the postseason last year.

For a lot of small market teams, that’s good enough. The Orlando Magic would kill to waddle into the playoffs and get some of that sweet extra revenue. The Sacramento Kings have been in the lottery longer than most Fortnite players have been alive!

Denver is not satisfied with that result. The Nuggets slid in and signed Paul Millsap last summer, when usually a better or richer team would’ve nabbed the talented forward. Still not satisfied, the Nuggets tried their damnedest to get a meeting with LeBron James before he eventually signed with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Not a lot of teams have the nerve to chase LeBron, especially those found in markets like Denver. Even after striking out, the Denver Nuggets still have continued to chase big moves. Adrian Wojnarowski tweeted on Thursday night that the Nuggets agreed to a one-year minimum deal with Isaiah Thomas.

IT was bad last season, sure, but he was also fresh off of an injury. In his last healthy season, Thomas was one of the best point guards in the game. This is a very low risk for the Nuggets, but it could pay off in a big way if IT’s legendary work ethic gets him right again.

Denver is smart to operate this way. All too often, a team gets their young core and assumes their window will be open for the long haul, and that they don’t need to chase established players to try and win now. Many times, those windows slam shut quickly due to that lack of action. The Nuggets, to be blunt, have some big cojones.

Next: The legacy of Seattle basketball is alive and well in the BIG3

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