The Denver Nuggets find themselves on the outside looking in after being eliminated by the Oklahoma City Thunder in seven games during their matchup in the Western Conference second round. Despite pushing OKC to its limits, the Thunder blew out Denver in the final game of the series, and now Denver is back to the drawing board.
Russell Westbrook has enjoyed a bounce-back season in Denver, playing next to Nikola Jokic; however, his flaws were on full display throughout the series. It wasn't just his fault though, as the Denver bench lacked firepower at key moments throughout the season.
Looking ahead to the offseason, the Nuggets can target one free agent who would help them solve a major issue.
Ty Jerome would be a perfect fit with the Nuggets
According to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com, the Denver Nuggets are among the teams interested in acquiring Cleveland's Ty Jerome. Fedor notes that the Nuggets must clear up cap space to pursue him.
Jerome is fresh off a productive season for the Cleveland Cavaliers, averaging 12.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.1 steals. He enters the 2025 offseason as a free agent after a stellar year, finishing third in the Sixth Man of the Year award.
If the Nuggets can land Jerome, it would be a clear upgrade to a bench that looked outmatched at times during the postseason.
Last season, the Nuggets got solid play from Peyton Watson and Julian Strawther, who proved to be quality contributors. Westbrook carved out a niche as a rotational player in Denver, but his lackluster play in the postseason may force Denver to look elsewhere for bench production.
Ty Jerome showed throughout the regular season that he can be relied upon, proving to be one of the Cavs most crucial players during a historic regular season. He didn't play his best basketball in the playoffs, but no one on Cleveland did besides Donovan Mitchell.
The Nuggets recently removed David Adelman's interim tag. This offseason could be critical for the franchise as it looks to retool its roster around its franchise cornerstone, Nikola JokiÄ.