Who are now being considered Denver's "pseudo-general managers" after not hiring one for the specific role in the offseason, Ben Tenzer (Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations) and Jon Wallace (Executive Vice President of Player Personnel) have already started making their mark.
The two were met with swift criticism from Nuggets fans following their introductory press conference, with equally-criticized owner Josh Kroenke, who dropped the bombshell of potentially trading their star - Nikola Jokic - if the team were to succumb to a bunch of injuries.
However, the Nuggets have made it clear to the fans now that that will never happen.
On the flip side - the regime in the upper echelons of the once discombobulated front office is flexing their muscles this offseason and pulling one of the league's biggest "never let them know your next move" type of mindsets.
Trades, signings, and even eye-turning coaching hires, the Nuggets have undoubtedly had the best 24 hours of any team in the NBA to start free agency.
Two major trades
After not having a single draft pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, the Nuggets made sure to kick off the free agency period with a bang by trading one of their biggest names in Michael Porter Jr. to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Cam Johnson.
With a similar three-point shooting skill set, shooting over 39% from three-point range, Johnson gives the Nuggets a better playmaker, shot creator, defender, and just an all-around more consistent style of play. While they may lose MPJ's rebounding ability, which proved to be vital at times for the Nuggets this past season, the move undoubtedly improves their starting five.
Johnson is coming off a career-high 18.8 points per game last season on a career-best 47.5% shooting. Not to mention, unloading MPJ's contract with a $38.3 million cap hit this upcoming season is a huge weight off the team's shoulders, while Johnson himself holds a $21 million cap hit.
But it wasn't just their first trade that made an impact - it was also their second one in acquiring veteran centre Jonas Valanciunas in exchange for Dario Saric.
Valanciunas is exactly what the Nuggets fans have been on their knees praying for over the past five years. Nobody needed a solid backup centre more than Jokic. Now, he finally has one.
Despite the 33-year-old Lithuanian entering his 14th year in the league this upcoming season, Valanciunas has averaged nearly a double-double almost every year throughout his entire career. But what also made the trade perfect for the Nuggets is that they were able to dump that disaster of a contract Dario Saric was given (two years, $10.5 million) by former General Manager Calvin Booth.
Now, Valanciunas will be coming off the bench with a trio of hungry youngsters in the stout defenceman Peyton Watson, the scorer Julian Strawther, and the big-man project DaRon Holmes. But what's even better is that the Nuggets also signed two veterans - one new face and another in an old friend and fan favourite.
Veteran bench depth
Denver went on to sign fan favourite guard Bruce Brown and veteran spot-up shooter Tim Hardaway Jr. to one-year, vet-minimum deals, providing much better depth on the bench that both Tenzer and Wallace stressed in their press conference prior to free agency.
Brown was a vital piece on the Nuggets' 2022-2023 championship roster, posting over 11 points per game off the bench (which is still his career high), earning him a nice $45 million payday with the Indiana Pacers. The team would later trade him to the Toronto Raptors, who also traded him to the New Orleans Pelicans before finding his way back to Denver.
Now, Brown is back where he belongs.
As for Hardaway Jr., he will now be paired up with the best player in the world dishing him the ball in a system that will create opportunities for him to get wide open looks - something he thrives in converting.
The veteran was 36-57 last season - that's a whopping 63% - when shooting wide-open three-point shots, something that the Nuggets desperately needed coming off the bench.
Coaching hires
Former NBA player and champion J.J. Barea is now joining the Denver Nuggets staff as an assistant coach along with Rodney Billups, the younger brother of former NBA star Chauncey Billups.
Barea spent 11 seasons with the Dallas Mavericks and three with the Minnesota Timberwolves before eventually joining the former again in 2021 as a player development coach. Prior to his hire in Denver, he was the head coach for the Guaynabo Mets in the Baloncesto Superior Nacional league in his home country of Puerto Rico.
Meanwhile, Billups, who is a Denver native, was also the head coach at the University of Denver before becoming an assistant on the Portland Trailblazers.
Now, the two will join a newly revamped team and staff under head coach David Adelman.
After their red-hot start to the offseason - are the Denver Nuggets just getting started?