[Izulde]

Dreaming of Dynasty: What Now For Nuggets?

The delerium of joy gripping the city of Denver in the wake of the Nuggets' first championship in a decade is now receding to a calm sense of happiness and questions are cropping up as to if the team can repeat and what they need to do to accomplish the feat.

What will the Nuggets do with the team's expiring contracts?

Mateen Yeaton, whose court embrace with GM Jestor was captured on camera and headlined every national media outlet as the iconic image of this Nuggets championship, will return. Jestor has repeatedly said that re-signing the Finals MVP is Priority #1. Our guess is that Yeaton signs the kind of lengthy deal that should see the rest of his career in a Nuggets uniform.

Priority 1A for the Nuggets will be returning Rico Wolfe, who energized the bench and played the perfect scorer and defender as the primary backup at guard after being acquired from the Raptors at the trade deadline.

The rest of the expiring contracts are all old players who no doubt are contemplating retirement. If none of them decide to retire, however, Emeka Okafor will be re-signed, most likely on a min-sal deal. The rest probably won't be back, particularly not Kirk Hinrich, who complained about reduced minutes this season.

How is the Zelipe Gama situation going to be resolved?
Gama, who was one of the best feel-good stories of 2015 and 2016, his first two years with the Nuggets, really started to drop the last two seasons, especially in the playoffs, where he's become inconsistent and a non-factor in four straight Finals.

But the Spainard's also one of the team's most popular players, both on the team and with the fans, he's still a very good PG and he comes at a cap-friendly, controlled-cost $5 million a year for the next 4 years contract. Our guess is that Jestor shops him around but will fail to find anything that he likes and keep Gama in the end.

Is there any truth to the rumors that Marcelino Augusto will be traded?
If Augusto played SF, then no, there would be no truth at all to the rumors. But because the Brazilian is a 6'9, 217 lb PF and hence, undersized for the four, there's a distinct possibility he could be dealt.

It seem ludicrous to many that a 20 year old who's an excellent all-around player and who averaged 19.7 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocks in just his second season would be traded, especially such a fan favorite. But Augusto appeared to tire somewhat as the postseason wore on and was limited to a 12.2 point, 6.4 rebound average in the Finals and that was against Chris Bosh, who isn't that much bigger.

On the other hand, the former #1 overall pick shot an impressive 48.9% from the floor during the regular season this year and an even more pleasing 50.2% in the postseason. That's the kind of accuracy Jestor loves from his players and is a major point for Augusto staying in Denver.

Like Gama, we believe Jestor will put feelers out to see what he can get. Unlike Gama, there's a fair chance the GM could find a package he likes and pull the trigger.

What are Denver's main areas of weakness that need to be addressed in the offseason?

Assuming the following events take place: Yeaton and Wolfe are re-signed and Augusto and Gama don't move anywhere, the following two major needs crop up.

1. An heir to Luol Deng at SF.
As much as we love David Jackson's productivity off the bench, he really loses his effectiveness when he's shifted to a starting role. As matters currently stand, if Deng declines sooner than expected, Jackson's the first in line to take over at SF.

2. Find new veteran leadership if Okafor retires
Okafor's really been the soul of this team and while Yeaton took great strides into taking on a more active leadership role this season, he's not entirely comfortable taking on that mantle. Deng isn't well-liked enough to provide it. Gama is a possibility to become the team captain, but only if it's guaranteed he isn't going to be traded. That's not something we see happening, so right now, it's Yeaton or bust.

Of course, if Gama and/or Augusto are traded, then this can change significantly. But for right now, it appears as though the majority of the pieces are in place for another championship run.