The general consensus surrounding the offseason that the Denver Nuggets had been that it was one full of success and deserving of admiration. Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report thought the Nuggets were just doing okay with the grade he offered to reflect their offseason. The NBA writer handed Denver a mediocre 'C' for their troubles.
Nuggets’ Offseason Success Now Facing Unexpected Backlash originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The general consensus surrounding the offseason that the Denver Nuggets had been that it was one full of success and deserving of admiration. However, there is at least one person out there who does not support that stance entirely.
Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report thought the Nuggets were just doing okay with the grade he offered to reflect their offseason. The NBA writer handed Denver a mediocre 'C' for their troubles.
Hughes downplayed the trade that landed Cam Johnson with the Nuggets. The Bleacher Report writer thought the deal did not deliver to the value it could have generated for the rest of the offseason.
Hughes wrote, "Did the Nuggets sweeten the MPJ-for-Cam Johnson swap with that pick because they intended to use the $17 million in 2025-26 savings to make the roster deeper? Or were [Bruce] Brown and [Tim] Hardaway going to sign regardless, which means Denver burned its last tradable first-round asset ... just to save ownership some cash?"
The writer did admit the Nuggets were 'better on paper.' However, there was an inescapable 'stench of thriftiness' that soured the opinion on the offseason in his analysis.
Nuggets offseason evaluation misses the mark
Simply put, Hughes's assessment of the situation is wrong. The writer largely downplayed the improvements made by the Nuggets by relegating that feeling to a dismissal about looking better on paper.
The full results of how successful these additions will be won't play out until the 2025-26 regular season. However, there has been and should continue to be so much optimism about the team that the Nuggets can be following this summer frenzy.
Johnson has a much more diversified arsenal on offense. Not only can the former Brooklyn Nets forward support Nikola Jokic, but there is an ability to create his own shot without the superstar center that Michael Porter Jr. lacked.
The boosts to the supporting cast overall should pay tons of dividends come playoff time, with an expanded rotation of dependable players too. To call this offseason a 'C' for the Nuggets comes off as trying to be different for the sake of it.
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 23, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: Basketball
