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Denver Nuggets
Aug 21, 2025 1:06 PM EDT
The Denver Nuggets are coming off another disappointing second-round playoff exit last season, though they were able to take the eventual champion Oklahoma City Thunder to seven games.
This marked Denver’s second consecutive second-round exit and they felt that it was time for some roster changes this offseason around their star trio of Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon.
Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) and Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27). — Source: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
Denver began their summer by trading Michael Porter Jr. and a 2032 first-round pick to the Brooklyn Nets for Cameron Johnson, which not only landed them a three-point sharpshooting forward, but also allowed them to free up cap space.
With the extra cap space, the Nuggets signed Bruce Brown and Tim Hardaway Jr. in free agency and acquired Jonas Valanciunas from the Sacramento Kings to upgrade their bench.
By making these moves, many around the league believe that the Nuggets are the biggest threat to the Thunder next season as they try to win another championship with Jokic leading the way.
Nikola Jokic’s NBA 2k26 rating revealed on Thursday
On Thursday, 2K revealed the top 10 players in their upcoming release of NBA 2K26 and to nobody’s surprise Jokic was among the top players.
Jokic will begin the season as a 98 overall in NBA 2K26 which has him tied with Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for the top overall rating in the game.
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Of course, the two players both put together historic seasons last year with Shai beating out Jokic in the MVP race.
Despite not winning the MVP award for the fourth time, Jokic still put together an incredible season as he has become arguably the best current basketball player in the world.
Last season, the 30-year-old center averaged 29.6 points, 12.7 rebounds, 10.2 assists and 1.8 steals per game while shooting 57.6% from the field and 41.7% from three.
Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) — Source: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
With those numbers, Jokic became just the third player in NBA history to average a triple-double throughout the entirety of a season, joining legends Russell Westbrook and Oscar Robertson.
Now the star big man will look to lead the new-look Nuggets to another championship next season while also competing for his fourth MVP award.
About the Author
Nathaniel Holloway