The Denver Nuggets had a disappointing end to their season last year, losing in the first round of the NBA playoffs to the Golden State Warriors.
They were clearly overmatched by the Warriors despite the excellence of MVP center Nikola Jokić. Now, Denver will need to look at how their team takes the next step to become a contender in the Western Conference moving forward.
A big reason that the Nuggets came up short was the absence of young point guard Jamal Murray, who missed the entirety of the 2021-22 season due to a torn ACL sustained during the 2021 playoffs.
They were also missing up-and-coming forward Michael Porter Jr., who dealt with a back injury for much of the season, only playing in nine games last year.
The team should be extremely competitive when those players both come back to regular action. But it appears that Denver’s front office still feels big moves need to be made to take the next step.
Wednesday saw reports that the Nuggets have traded Will Barton and Monte Morris to the Washington Wizards for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Ish Smith.
Denver is nearing trading Monte Morris and Will Barton to Washington in deal for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Ish Smith, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 29, 2022
Can confirm @WashWizards have traded for Monte Morris and Will Barton from Denver. The Nuggets will receive KCP and Ish Smith. Wizards got their starting PG and a two way player in Baltimore native Barton. First reported by @ShamsCharania
— Chris Miller 🎥🎙🏀 (@CMillsPXP) June 29, 2022
Morris (seen at center above during an April game) had been talked about this offseason as a potential starting point guard for some teams, and many Wizards’ fans appear to be happy that he will likely take the role on their team.
Monte Morris was a fantastic Nugget. 51st pick. Spent his first year in the G-league grinding. Made an immediate impact the following season.
"Mr. Nugget" from 2020-2022. Great teammate, as reliable a backup pg as they come, and seemed to love the city. Fan favorite.
— Adam Mares (@Adam_Mares) June 29, 2022
In Monte Morris, the Wizards get a solid starting PG who is 27, can defend and is a career 39.4% shooter from 3.
Will Barton has long been a reliable two-way wing, not unlike KCP whom he was traded for. Both players, of course, have a history with Wes Unseld Jr.
— Chase Hughes (@chasedcsports) June 29, 2022
Washington got better
Monte Morris is one of the most underrated point guards in the NBA https://t.co/eXHicz6wl5
— Adam Koffler (@AdamKoffler) June 29, 2022
Meanwhile, the Nuggets bring in Caldwell-Pope, who already showed he can play a big role on a championship team while on the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2019-20 season. And some of their fans are excited about that.
Denver finally get its guy. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope shot 39% from 3 last season and 45% from the corners. He’s a shooting and big defensive upgrade over Will Barton. Murray-KCP-MPJ-Gordon-Jokic has the potential to be as dominant of a lineup as we’ve seen in the Jokic era.
— Harrison Wind (@HarrisonWind) June 29, 2022
Murray-KCP-MPJ-Gordon-Jokic is very likely the best 5-man lineup of the Jokic era.
— Adam Mares (@Adam_Mares) June 29, 2022
Like KCP on this roster more than Barton. Opens up real opportunity for Bones. Saves Denver money and I don’t think it got worse. https://t.co/K59UeRZ5dO
— James L. Edwards III (@JLEdwardsIII) June 29, 2022
Denver will also add some cap flexibility by making this move. That’s been a trend for the Nuggets this offseason, which also saw them trade veteran forward JaMychal Green to the Oklahoma City Thunder earlier this month.
While this move on the surface doesn’t look like anything game-changing for the Nuggets, Caldwell-Pope has shown flashes of excellent defense over this career, and that could be a big impact on a Nuggets team that was around middle of the pack in points allowed per game last season.
If Denver can bring back Murray and Porter Jr. next season, and Jokić continues to play at an MVP level, they could be very dangerous in the Western Conference moving forward.
[Adrian Wojnarowski on Twitter; photo from Cary Edmondson/USA Today Sports]
