“I think (the Nuggets) and the Houston Rockets have probably had the best summers (in the NBA),” Barkley, the longtime hoops analyst/icon, told me last Saturday night at Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center.

“And (the Nuggets), they’ve got the best player in the world (in Nikola Jokic). They just needed some more depth. They kind of broke the team up after they won the first championship (2023), and that’s really unfortunate. (They’ve) still got the best player. You want to give them as many opportunities as possible. But I thought they had a great summer.”

Barkley, the hoops Hall of Famer and unfiltered co-host of the best studio show this century, “Inside The NBA,” which moves to ESPN this fall, flew into town to serve as keynote speaker at Saturday’s Porter-Billups Leadership Academy (PBLA) Gala.

A weekend getaway to Denver ticked off a bunch of boxes for The Chuckster: An excuse to visit an old friend in Chauncey Billups, a window to play some golf at altitude, and a chance to support a great cause in the PBLA — a summer academy at Regis University that provides academic and leadership training to students in underserved communities in Denver.

Billups, aka Mr. Big Shot, is co-executive director of the PBLA along with his old coach at CU, Ricardo Patton. It was established in 1996 by Regis men’s basketball coach Lonnie Porter and his daughter, Staci Porter-Bentley, as a launch pad for Front Range hopes and dreams.

And speaking of Denver dreams, Chuck, did the Nuggets land enough lightning for Nikola Jokic to run with the Thunder in 2026?

“They probably had the best chance of beating OKC (in the playoffs),” Barkley replied. “So it’s not like they were that far off. But like I say, them and the Rockets have both had great summers. So that’s all you can say until they start playing.

“I thought, in no particular order, the Nuggets, the Rockets (and) the Hawks, those three teams had the best summers.”

What a difference a new front office makes. Former Nuggets GM Calvin Booth gambled two years ago that a handful of young players would turn the same corner Christian Braun did. That they’d morph into a cost-effective second unit to balance pricey contract extensions for franchise mainstays Jamal Murray ($46.4 million cap hit in ’25-26), Aaron Gordon ($22.8 million) and the Joker ($55.2 million).

Yeah, that didn’t happen. Booth and coach Michael Malone clashed, sewing the seeds of contention that got both fired this past April and forcing Nuggets ownership to re-assess. Out of the ashes came a new coach (David Adelman), new co-GMs/vice presidents (Wallace and Tenzer), and, most importantly, a roster-shifting trade that got Michael Porter Jr.’s $38.3 million cap hit for ’25-26 and $40.8-million hit for ’26-27 off the books.

MPJ and a draft pick were shipped to the Nets earlier this month, bringing back a similarly-skilled but less expensive wing forward in Cam Johnson ($21.06 million in ’25-26). That, in turn, opened up cap space for the Nuggets to trade for center Jonas Valanciunas, sign 3-point specialist Tim Hardaway Jr., and re-up with Bruce Brown, a vital, popular cog of the ’23 NBA champs.

“Bruce was a big loss (via free agency to Indiana) the first time around,” Barkley said. “And then they lost Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (as a free agent to Orlando). Those were big losses. But now they have retooled. Now they can look forward to the season.”

Even better, Sir Charles, continued, Nuggets fans can look forward to better shooting. Better defense. And a roster that matches up better with divisional rivals in Oklahoma City and Minnesota — as well as the Rockets, Lakers, Clippers, Warriors and Grizzlies.

“First of all, (the Nuggets) got terrific (additions). I think they got more athletic, which they really needed to do,” Barkley said.

“Because if you’re going to beat OKC and the Rockets, you’ve got to be athletic on the perimeter, especially with Durant going down there with those other guys. OKC is probably the most athletic team in the league. But like I say, they got better. And that’s all you could ask for.”

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He loves the big lug. Always has. Always will.

“It’s hard,” the Rockies fan from Colorado Springs said Wednesday while Colorado was blanking Nolan Arenado and St. Louis, 6-0, at an overcast Coors Field. “It (stinks). It’s a hard thing, as a Rockies fan, to see someone who’s been here for so long go.

“But I understand, at this point in our franchise’s existence, he’s more valuable to us as a trade piece than on the field… I think it’s his time to move on and hopefully go win a championship.”

Wednesday was the Rockies’ last home game until Aug. 1. It’s also the last one before the July 31 Major League Baseball trade deadline.

No coincidence, then, that a lot of Ry Mac replica jerseys were on hand — Troutman brought a white one — to mix with a sea of the usual “ARENADO 28s” in purple and red.

Speaking of McMahon — you know, the Yankees still need help at the hot corner. So do the Tigers, Mariners and Cubs.

“Yeah, it’s hard to avoid it, man,” McMahon, the Rockies’ 30-year-old third baseman, told me after an 0-for-3 day that included a walk and a run scored. “… I’m a baseball fan, so I follow a bunch of baseball accounts on all my social media. I like to stay up with the game. So, you definitely see it. But you show up to the field, you see the guys — I mean, that kind of resets you, right? You get in here with guys you care about, that you like playing the game with, and it’s just, ‘All right, let’s just go play ball.'”

Rockies fans I talked to had already skipped several stages of grief at the idea of losing No. 24 before the end of the month. Tom Lathrop, also of the Springs, hasn’t just let go. He sounded as if he’d rounded “bargaining” and slid into “acceptance” about three homestands ago.

“I think they can get some really good (prospects) for him,” offered Lathrop. “And with some of the (Rockies’) starting pitchers, I think it’s probably time.”

Past time, now that you mention it. Dick Monfort’s nostalgia streak has left an organization naked and afraid.

Last week, I asked the hottest GM tandem in town, the Nuggets’ Jon Wallace and Ben Tenzer, if they’d ever thought about moonlighting in a baseball front office. They laughed. They also got the point.

The Nuggets had to shake off any personal affections for Michael Porter Jr. in order to move forward again as a franchise. If you love a player and hate a contract, that contract probably needs to be moved. Lesson learned.

McMahon, a glove-first All-Star with home run pop, is one of four players left from those heady #Rocktober runs of 2017 and 2018. Seven years later, every one of those guys is on the wrong side of 30, and on deals that are a pain in the rump to get off the books.

“I’ve loved playing here,” McMahon continued. “I’d love to continue playing here and hopefully win.

“But again, whatever the organization decides to do, I can say from the bottom of my heart, I’ve enjoyed every moment I’ve had interacting with fans here.”

This could be it for McMahon. This could be it for Jake Bird. Maybe even for Mickey Moniak, who, like Tyler Freeman, has been useful salvage during a season that’s otherwise turned into the mother of all dumpster fires.

“I would love to stay,” said the 27-year-old Moniak, who’s posted a .275 average and a career-best 15 home runs with Colorado. “I’ve said it the whole time since I’ve got here. The Rockies have always shown confidence in me as a player. When I got released … they were the first to call.

“I love the city of Denver. The fans have been awesome, even through this tough stretch of games we’ve been playing. So, yeah, we’d definitely love to be a Rockie for as long as possible. If I were to get traded, I’m just grateful to be playing.”

Troutman was grateful, too, toasting the pair from the left-field concourse while wishing they could be flipped for prospects tomorrow.

He also knows the Rox might not get much. McMahon was a career .819 OPS hitter in Denver going into Wednesday with a lifetime OPS of .664 away from Coors. This is a front office, after all, that shipped Arenado and cash to St. Louis four years ago for Austin Gomber and a ball of lint.

“If the return is like what happened to Nolan, then we have an issue,” Troutman cracked. “If it’s a good trade, then, good for (McMahon), good for us. I understand it. And I think it’s probably in the cycle of the Rockies’ life to let that happen.”

A gentleman in one of those white-and-green Ryan McMahon City Connect jerseys made a point to grab a bite on the main concourse in between Ry Mac at-bats, midway through the sixth.

“He’s the reason why we’re here,” the man told me. “Just don’t use my name.”

“Why?” I wondered. “Are you playing hooky on a Wednesday?”

He grinned.

“Sort of. But McMahon is why we wanted to be here.”

One last look.

Probably.

Maybe.

“He’s been pretty good for us,” Troutman said. He nodded up the third-base line as McMahon’s glove kissed the corner where so many doubles went to die. “But it’s just time to move on.”

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Curtis Jones and the Nuggets have agreed to a two-way contract that will keep him with the franchise for the 2025-26 season, a league source confirmed Sunday afternoon.

Jones led the Nuggets in scoring over five games the past two weeks in Las Vegas, averaging 14.6 points on 54.9% shooting from the field and 46.7% from 3-point range. The undrafted rookie out of Iowa State also averaged 4.4 rebounds and 3.8 assists for the Summer Nuggets, who went 2-3 in Sin City.

Jones played four college seasons between Buffalo and Iowa State. The 6-foot-5 guard came off the bench for the majority of his 71 games with the Cyclones over the past two seasons, culminating in a senior year that saw him earn Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year honors while averaging 17.4 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists on 43.0% shooting.

With his addition, the Nuggets have now filled all three of their two-way slots on the roster. Second-year forward Spencer Jones and rookie guard Tamar Bates account for the other two spots. The two-way signing does not affect the team’s 15-man roster, however, meaning Denver still has one open roster spot that it can either choose to fill or leave open.

Nuggets executive Ben Tenzer told reporters on Friday that the team did not feel any pressure to address that opening before training camp in late September.

“We’re going to be patient right now,” Tenzer said. “We feel really good about where the roster’s at. And if we feel like it’s important to add a 15th, we will. But no pressure right now.”

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Much as we love our Buc-ee’s brisket, that smiling beaver will never make a pizza as good as the ones you can grab from a Casey’s General Store. (Of which there are none within 180 miles of downtown Denver. More’s the pity.)

At any rate, our Midwest peeps still drop a line now and again. Especially when a local fave hits our fair shores.

“Watch out for Curtis Jones,” somebody wrote us two weeks ago.

“Enjoy Curtis Jones,” wrote another.

“You’re going to love Curtis Jones,” wrote yet another.

You know what?

They were right. On all counts.

Curtis Jones Fever — A

Jones is a 6-foot-6 guard out of Iowa State who the Nuggets added to their Summer League roster.

Long story short, he tore it up in Las Vegas.

On Friday night, Jones put the capper on an excellent week in Sin City by dropping 22 points, five rebounds and eight assists on the Lakers in a 106-84 Denver win.

From July 12-18, the ex-Cyclones star averaged 16.3 points, 5.3 boards and 4.3 assists over four Summer League games. Through five Vegas appearances, his assist-to-turnover ratio was 19 to nine and he shot 46.7% (14 for 30) from beyond the 3-point arc.

Our hoops wonks want to fall in love with the guy. Honest, they do.

It’s just that they’ve also been fooled before. One GTW staffer still keeps a Bones Hyland shirt hanging via thumb tacks at his cubicle, and Heaven only knows when he last washed the thing.

Although unlike our man Bones, Jones can play a little defense when he has to. Add it all up, and this much is becoming crystal clear: If the Nuggets don’t offer the former Cyclone a two-way contract, then some other NBA team sure as heck will.

All-Star swing-off — C

Would you want an NBA All-Star Game decided by a 3-point shooting contest?

That’s what Major League Baseball gave us this past Tuesday night, as a bonkers American League rally forced a 6-6 tie after nine innings at the midsummer classic in Atlanta.

And cue the history. In the latest wrinkle to prevent a repeat of that running-out-of-pitchers debacle from 2002, a mini home-run derby, or “swing-off,” was held to determine the winner. A batting-practice pitcher served up pitches to three hitters — the National League only wound up having to send up two — from each roster, as chosen by their respective managers.

On one hand, it was a complete sideshow. On the other, it was also captivating to see play out in real time.

A few days later, Team GTW is still kind of torn.

It’s just not — well, baseball. Shouldn’t there be a winning pitcher and a losing one? A swing-off should never, ever be used to decide a meaningful contest, let alone a playoff one. Never give commissioner Rob Manfred any leeway to blow up more traditional laws of the game than he already has. Full disclosure: Most of Team GTW still hates the extra-inning ghost runner, much as we also “get” it.

Still, it’s not a meaningful game, is it? It’s an exhibition. Knowing pitchers are done after nine innings means managers can try to get more of them in over the course of the game, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Although we’d also wager that the next AL skipper is going to be more inclined to ask Aaron Judge to stick around after he’s pulled from the game. Just in case.

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Everyone reveled in Jamal Murray’s playoff excellence en route to a championship. But Nuggets Nation suffered as Murray has dealt with one injury after another the past two seasons, bad luck and poor early-season conditioning conspiring to make him look old at the age of 28.

Now comes a chance for a reset. An opportunity to make critics — myself among them — swallow their tongues.

Friday, as co-general managers Jon Wallace and Ben Tenzer talked about the Nuggets’ upgraded roster, flashbacks interrupted the joy.

We’ve heard this before. The pieces are in place. Nikola Jokic is the best player on the planet. All that is needed is for Murray to operate at a season-long standard that meets the rest of our expectations.

Perhaps you heard: Murray will be the NBA’s 15th highest-paid player in 2025 at $46.3 million, the first year of a $207.8 million max contract extension. He is the only player among the top 26 to never make an All-Star Game.

Doesn’t this infuriate him? His contract has been called the worst in Colorado sports, non-Kris Bryant division. Doesn’t that disrespect fuel him?

Apparently, it does.

The Nuggets recently posted on Twitter pictures and video of Murray working out with the summer league team in Las Vegas. For a player who had a disjointed offseason last summer — Murray was recovering from multiple injuries while playing terribly for Team Canada in the Olympics — this represents a positive sign.

By itself, it was not a headline. This is: Word is Murray has also been playing in pick-up games in Las Vegas at the Wynn Casino, where the Toronto Raptors continued their tradition of setting up two regulation courts in a ballroom. These games feature heavy hitters, players capable of pushing Murray more than practices with future G-Leaguers.

This is the type of stuff that perks ears and widens eyes. The type of routine that suggests Murray wants to raise a finger after a championship, preferably the middle one.

This is what the Nuggets need: A motivated Murray, taking from his love of the UFC, from the glove tap to the final bell.

It is impossible to overstate his importance to a title run. He is the connective tissue that supports all the recent moves, binds them together.

Josh Kroenke acknowledged that the front office would push players to remember the sour ending in Oklahoma City, making it clear that attitude and effort were non-negotiable. Coach David Adelman challenged them to return ready for a competitive training camp designed to facilitate a fast launch.

“I think we can come back more ready to start the season. I would love for us to come back more ready to go,” Adelman said. “That’ll be the expectation, to come back in much better shape.”

He did not mention names. But if it were an ad lib, Murray would have filled in the blank. By all accounts, he has gotten the message.

Forget making an All-Star team. That has always been a mix of popularity and politics. The Nuggets need Murray to play like an All-Star. They no longer have the margin for error that existed in 2023, permitting him to ramp up his conditioning during the first few months.

If last season taught us anything, it’s this: Exerting so much energy to level up left Murray vulnerable to injuries and compromised in the playoffs. That version of Murray wins just enough to drive us crazy, making us yearn for the higher ceiling we witnessed during previous playoff runs.

Seeing Murray getting reps in practice in Las Vegas, hearing about him getting run in pickup games, suggests he is taking ownership and assuming the responsibility that comes with his contract.

Perhaps reminders from people he trusts helped. Or perhaps he looked in the mirror and recognized the truth. Jokic is the brains of the Nuggets, playing Peyton Manning-type chess on offense. Murray is the heart of the Nuggets.

Last year he showed up and played the first 20 games like he needed an angioplasty. If he arrives bought in, everything changes.

Teammates will feed off him. Including Jonas Valanciunas, a backup center the front office believes will report to the Nuggets and dazzle with his rebounding and passing. Including Cam Johnson, who learned to score off the dribble in Brooklyn and has the type of basketball IQ to maximize his time on the floor with Jokic. Including Bruce Brown, who is ready for a redux. And including Tim Hardaway Jr., who is already slobbering at all the open spot-up looks he will get in this offense.

If Murray sets the tone in training camp, as expected, then Adelman can focus on teaching his schemes to fast-learning veterans and not get bogged down in calisthenics and fundamentals.

The Nuggets wisely resisted the temptation to run it back with last season’s roster. They are better. But an existing player is more important than any new additions.

A mad Murray, instead of a maddening Murray, holds the key to another championship.

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Man, it was fun, though. Right? Eighty-five days, pure bliss, from interim status to the Michael Porter Jr. trade. We’ll always have Sacramento, Coach. We’ll always have Inglewood.

“I want to win,” new Nuggets forward Cam Johnson said Friday at Ball Arena during an introductory news conference. “At the end of the day, I want to win. I want to win a championship. And obviously, we have the pieces to do it here. And that’s what I’m most excited about.”

From here on out, DA, it’s business time. Adelman salvaged the spring admirably. He hopped onto a moving train and kept it from careening into the play-in round. He survived the Clippers, then pushed the best team in basketball — the Oklahoma City Thunder — to seven games with a beat-up roster.

Fast forward seven weeks, and DA’s got more tools, sharper tools, in his shed to play with. And fewer excuses. The Nuggets’ VP tag team of Jon Wallace and Ben Tenzer, on paper, knocked their first try at Jokic Era 2.0 out of the park, flipping two bad contracts (MPJ and Dario Saric) into four good players.

Come to think of it, this is how the Nuggets should’ve looked in 2023-24, when they were coming off a title run. Instead, ex-GM Calvin Booth went young, pooh-poohing the importance of a repeat in favor of a five-year plan. Naturally, it went wheels-up in about two.

Now Adelman’s been handed the kind of rotation his old boss, Michael Malone, always wanted.

“I mean, look, we’re sitting here in July right now,” Wallace offered Friday. “We think we’ve given ourselves a chance to give (Adelman) some tools, to have some resources to where we can be competitive. Obviously, the season has to play itself out.

“But do we feel confident? Yes. But like I said, there’s a lot of basketball to be played. These guys have to gel. (Adelman’s) got to put his new philosophies in. So, time will tell.”

Jonzer did their job. The ball, literally and figuratively, is in DA’s court. The better the roster, the hotter those stage lights burn.

Fair? When you’re a caretaker for the basketball legacy of the best player in the world, “fair” no longer applies. The Nuggets have finally backed up the Joker again with a supporting cast that’s no worse than third-best in the brutal, unforgiving Western Conference.

Adelman was rightfully applauded for guiding the wounded Nuggets through May and into a second-round exit. If they’re eliminated before the conference Finals next spring, he’ll be pilloried. And justifiably.

“I wouldn’t say I’m nervous because there are still enough basketball minds around,” former NBA forward and current NBA TV analyst Dennis Scott told me recently. “Settling on Adelman being the head coach, if I’m being honest, I think it’s a safe move because he knows where the bodies are buried. The guys know who he is. You’re not bringing in a brand new voice trying to change things overnight.”

Meanwhile, how cheesed off must Malone be right about now?

April’s Nuggets went six deep on a good day and ran out of gas, just like in 2024. July’s Nuggets, assuming center Jonas Valanciunas comes to his senses, have the juice to match the Thunder and Timberwolves, body for body. Shooter for shooter. Veteran for veteran.

One of those veterans, the amiable, 29-year-old Johnson, said the quiet part out loud a bunch Friday. The Nuggets’ newest catch-and-shoot threat uttered the word “championship” four times over about 20 minutes of back-and-forth with reporters. He said “win” or “winning” on seven different occasions.

Johnson even noted that the stakes hit him, of all places, while noshing at a breakfast spot in greater Phoenix, not long after the Nuggets-Nets trade was reported. A table of Denver fans recognized him and made a giddy approach.

“This whole table, I’m talking 10 old people, were shaking,” Johnson recalled.

Other than that, coach? No pressure. It’s now or never. And as Lisa Marie’s dad once sang, tomorrow will be too darn late.

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The funny thing is, he wasn’t even in Denver. He was in Arizona, where he spends his offseasons, “just casually chilling” at a restaurant near his house. It was a couple of days after the Brooklyn Nets had traded him to the Nuggets for Michael Porter Jr. and a 2031 first-round pick.

“This whole table, I’m talking 10 old people, were shaking. Like beside themselves,” Johnson recalled on Friday, when he was formally introduced at Ball Arena. “They’re like, ‘We’ve been Nuggets fans for so long. We live in Arizona. We’re huge Nuggets fans.’ The ladies almost crying and stuff. I’m like, ‘Oh, this is awesome.'”

Johnson has a lot to figure out still. He and Porter have discussed the possibility of swapping homes, but he doesn’t quite know where he’ll live in the Denver area yet. The good news is that an offseason trade leaves him time to get settled in his third NBA city, where he’ll start for a title-contending team alongside three-time league MVP Nikola Jokic.

“It’s a tough style to play against,” Johnson said solemnly, reflecting on his encounters as a Net and Phoenix Sun.

Now he gets to learn what it’s like from the other side: “That’s the kind of basketball I want to play, where everybody’s in tune with each other and able to play off each other.”

Johnson was the centerpiece of Denver’s offseason moves under new front office leadership. Trading Porter for him was a roster shake-up in its own right, but the exchange of salaries also made room for the Nuggets to add another critical role player. Meanwhile, they weren’t sacrificing much from a size and shooting standpoint. Porter is 6-foot-10, Johnson 6-8. Porter was a 39.5% outside shooter last season, Johnson 39% sharp (at slightly higher volume).

The North Carolina grad is a 39.2% career 3-point shooter fresh off his best statistical season in Brooklyn, where he averaged 18.8 points on a lottery team devoid of elite scoring options.

The Nuggets are on a completely different timeline. Denver is a completely different vibe. The lifestyle is slower. The landscape and basketball expectations are steeper. Johnson “relishes” that, in his own words.

“The goal at the beginning, at the end of the day and everything in-between is to win a championship, and that’s what I’m here to do,” he said. “That’s what my teammates, I’m 100% sure, are here to do. So that’s the ultimate goal. Obviously, things happen over the course of the season. You never really know. If everybody only defines successful seasons by the championship, then there would really be a small amount of guys at the end of the season defining their season as successful. So it’s a wide range of things — and I think it starts with how well we can gel, and how the system works.”

Johnson’s new teammates are a good fit for his personality on paper. He’s a known basketball nerd, an X’s and O’s enthusiast with a clear-eyed appreciation for Aaron Gordon’s role in the dunker spot as much as Jokic’s flashy passing. When Johnson was growing up in Pittsburgh, he would draw up sets on “a little notebook” in his bedroom.

“I always loved the game,” he said. “I always loved the mental side of the game. And I’ve always prided myself on that.”

Nuggets coach David Adelman conceptualized Johnson as a focal point of off-ball actions when speaking with The Denver Post last week. Johnson agrees that his catch-and-shoot opportunities are likely to experience “a little bit of an uptick” after he was asked to play on the ball more in Brooklyn. Still, having dabbled in that type of role was another appeal to Denver. The roster had a shortage of shot-creating talent last season, adding to the burden of Jokic and Jamal Murray.

Johnson’s player development specialist with the Nets was Connor Griffin, who used to work for the Nuggets. His head coach, Jordi Fernandez, used to be an assistant under Michael Malone in Denver. “They said it’s a perfect situation for me, and they know my game,” Johnson said Friday.

He’s already well-acquainted with the basketball situation he’s walking into. What he’s eager to familiarize himself with next is the local community. Breakfast in Arizona was a good start.

“There’s a lot for me to learn about the city and a lot for me to learn about the fans of the Nuggets,” Johnson said. “So far, the reception has been incredible. I’m in random places where I wouldn’t expect to find any Nuggets fans, and it’s like, ‘Whoa, go Nuggets! We’re excited!’ And it’s been all over the place, no matter where I’ve been over the past couple of weeks. So that’s really encouraging.”

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Nuggets executive vice president of basketball operations Ben Tenzer said Friday that he has “no concerns” about the status of Valanciunas, a sentiment echoed by executive VP of player personnel Jon Wallace.

“We’ve had great conversations with him,” Tenzer said, “and there’s been nothing but healthy conversations in terms of him honoring his contract and him (being) excited to be a Nugget.”

Numerous team officials have spoken with Valanciunas at this point, including front office personnel and head coach David Adelman. The feeling around the team is that Valanciunas has been amicable and cooperative about playing in Denver, despite ongoing speculation regarding his willingness to stay in the NBA after receiving a contract offer from Panathinaikos.

News of the Greek club’s interest in him emerged after the Nuggets acquired Valanciunas in a trade with the Sacramento Kings this month. The Lithuanian big man is under contract in the NBA for at least the 2025-26 season, and Denver has remained steadfast that he’ll be held to that. In order for him to sign with a EuroLeague team, he would first be required to negotiate a release from his NBA contract. The Nuggets traded for him not to buy him out, but to use him as Nikola Jokic’s backup center.

“We’re still working through that right now,” Wallace said Friday when asked about plans to get Valanciunas to Denver.

Complicating matters somewhat is EuroBasket, the European championship tournament beginning in late August. Valanciunas will be competing for Lithuania, where he has already reported for national team training camp. There is a possibility that Denver will have someone in Europe to see him during the tournament. Jokic is also widely expected to compete for Serbia.

However the logistics are sorted out across continents, all signs point to a peaceful outcome to this unusual dilemma — reinforced by Tenzer’s first comments made to independent media about it on Friday.

Open roster spot?

With Valanciunas, Cam Johnson, Bruce Brown and Tim Hardaway Jr. officially joining the team, Denver still has one open roster spot that it can choose whether or not to fill. But when Tenzer was asked if he feels any pressure to address that before training camp in September, he indicated that he might feel comfortable leaving it open.

“I wouldn’t say there’s pressure. We’re going to be patient right now,” Tenzer said. “We feel really good about where the roster’s at. And if we feel like it’s important to add a 15th, we will. But no pressure right now.”

Teams are required to carry at least 14 players during the season, but there are potential benefits to leaving the final spot open. The Nuggets’ payroll is only $400,000 above the luxury tax line. They still have access to a portion of the non-taxpayer mid-level exception. If they aren’t in love with any remaining free agents, they can maintain the flexibility to pursue a player on the buyout market in February or March.

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It doesn’t matter if he wants a reality TV show, “My Big Fat Greek Meeting,” about his negotiations with Panathinaikos.

Jonas Valanciunas is a Denver Nugget.

The trade went through, making Dario Saric a King — read that without laughing — and Valanciunas the new backup center at Ball Arena. In a perfect world, this would be the end of it, capping one of the most remarkable offseasons in franchise history.

But there remains a catch. A loose thread dangling from Valanciunas, that if pulled, could cause everything to unravel. This leaves the Nuggets no choice but to continue taking a hard-line stance. It’s Denver or nothing. No budging.

Valanciunas, through vague comments, has suggested that he might not want to be here. He met with the Greek powerhouse, mulling a three-year offer. Panathinaikos represents a soft landing spot closer to his Lithuanian home, closer to family, and a role closer to the stardom that brought him to the States in the first place.

There is, however, the little matter of his contract. He has one year left on his deal for $10.4 million. Per FIBA rules, he cannot sign with the EuroLeague team without the Nuggets releasing him. Denver would have happily done this for Saric. This is different. The Nuggets need Valanciunas as much as any player they have added over the last few weeks.

The idea of contending for a championship blows up if they cannot take mileage off Nikola Jokic.

There was internal frustration the last two years that former coach Mike Malone rode Jokic too hard during the regular season, though his counterargument was that Calvin Booth built a roster more top-heavy than a sunflower.

Ever since David Adelman took over, he has stressed the importance of reaching the finish line with gas in the tank. Translation: The Nuggets have to be deep enough to give their three-time MVP some more rest after he averaged a career-high 36.7 minutes per game last season and 40.2 in the playoffs.

For the first time in five years, they landed a legitimate option. Valanciunas connects to Jokic.

He is stuck. Not like gum on the bottom of a shoe. But like a vase held together by Gorilla Glue.

Valanciunas doesn’t have to like it. If his desire to play in Greece is tied to family, he deserves compassion. If his odd messaging traces to a desire for more money, those dots connect much easier since he has a non-guaranteed salary of $10 million for 2026-27.

But he is stuck.

The Nuggets have all the leverage. And frankly, they would likely not be interested in reworking his contract because having him on a one-year deal helps them better handle a Christian Braun extension that should be coming in the next few days or months.

We don’t know exactly what Valanciunas is thinking. Earlier this week, he reported to training camp for the Lithuanian National Team, which will play in EuroBasket 2025 in August. When asked about his future with the Nuggets, he replied, “When I am sure, I will talk about everything.”

Let’s be clear: The Nuggets were surprised by this drama, regardless of their public posture. Ben Tenzer and John Wallace, the Nuggets’ co-general managers, would have driven an Uber to Sacramento to unload Saric’s contract. But for all of the pieces to fit on this improved roster, it requires Valanciunas. Not push back. Or buyouts.

Tenzer told the Nuggets’ flagship station, Altitude 92.5 FM, that he “absolutely” expects Valanciunas to play for Denver, adding, “We had indications that he was going to honor that contract. We were never worried about anything going on out there (in Greece) to be honest.”

This is the appropriate messaging, even if some apprehension remains in the building. Tenzer and Wallace must navigate this carefully. Show no weaknesses. Demonstrate nuance. They have to make it clear through back channels how much they want Valanciunas, explaining that Adelman has a clear vision for his role, one that will include running the offense through him with the second unit while carving out 20 minutes per night.

Valanciunas has long been an inspiration in his country and respected for his work ethic and professionalism. The Nuggets must lean into this, remind the center of his stellar reputation. Does Valanciunas really want to go full Jimmy Butler on Denver?

Again, he’s stuck.

Valanciunas’ only play is to throw a tantrum, start missing meetings and force a suspension. Those are things reserved for the likes of Butler and DeMarcus Cousins. Does Valanciunas have the stomach to be a malcontent?

The Nuggets have to be willing to find out.

Everything about Valanciunas suggests that once the season starts, he will roll up his sleeves and play hard. He ranks eighth among active players in rebounds. That is a hustle stat, a reflection of a player who cares.

So, yeah, maybe he isn’t crazy about playing for his sixth team in seven years. And backing up Jokic is not exactly glamorous after starting 82 games two seasons ago.

It stinks. But he’s stuck. And you know what doesn’t suck? Winning a championship.

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Did Sacramento know about the Jonas Valanciunas/Europe situation when they made the trade? The whole thing seems shady from that end.

— Andrew, Denver

Thanks for starting us off, Andrew. I honestly don’t know for sure how much the Kings did or didn’t know ahead of time. That part definitely remains murky, and I can see how it’s tempting to assume they were stealth-dumping their problem on Denver’s doorstep. But my educated guess is that they couldn’t have known Panathinaikos was lurking. Why would they have made the trade if they did? The whole purpose of the deal for them was to shed salary. There is no other justification for trading a sturdy, dependable backup center for one who played 16 underwhelming games last season.

By turning Valanciunas into Dario Saric, the Kings saved about $4.7 million in cap space for 2025-26. If they had known Valanciunas was yearning for the beaches of Greece (or the increase in guaranteed money), they could have hypothetically reached a contract buyout agreement instead of trading him. Sacramento would’ve had the same leverage that Denver now has, except with actual incentive to release him from his NBA contract.

There’s no telling exactly how that would’ve played out — maybe the Kings felt that trading him was the safer outcome than risking a failed buyout negotiation — but if Valanciunas earnestly wants to play overseas and would’ve willingly forfeited his entire salary, Sacramento could’ve conceivably saved $10.4 million in cap space. That’s more than twice what was saved by taking on Saric’s contract.

Bennett, love your reporting. My question is about Christian Braun. He improved by leaps and bounds last year. What do you think he’ll do this year?

— AJ, Aurora

How much do you think Christian Braun will get paid on his next contract?

— David, Denver

The salary cap is expected to increase by only 7% in 2026-27, which could rain on the Braun extension parade a bit. I do expect the Nuggets and him to get a deal done while he’s eligible this offseason, but the number will be interesting.

Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus recently projected four years and $94 million for an average annual value of $23.5 million. That might be on the low end, though. Spotrac’s Keith Smith projected Braun to be one of only five players in the 2022 draft class to eclipse $30 million annually on his second contract (at four years and $120 million), along with Paolo Banchero, Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams and Walker Kessler. ESPN front office insider Bobby Marks also offered a valuation of “at least $30 million per year,” but that was notably when the cap was expected to increase by a larger percentage.

Due diligence for the Nuggets is to negotiate. They’re already on the hook for at least $171.6 million in 2026-27, spread across five contracts — even after they improved their cap sheet with the Michael Porter Jr. trade.

If Braun’s salary does exceed $30 million, the 2026-27 starting lineup plus Zeke Nnaji will cost more than $200 million, with the second apron estimated to be $222.4 million. That doesn’t account for Peyton Watson’s possible extension, Jonas Valanciunas’ non-guaranteed salary and four rookie-scale contracts with team options on them. It’s very much within the realm of possibility that Denver ends up with a second-apron payroll and multiple roster spots still open.

Braun is already a versatile and valuable player with room to keep improving. His screen navigation as a lead defensive guard is on an upward trajectory. On offense, he can boost his 3-point shooting reputation by maintaining his efficiency at higher volume — and by punishing defenses that ignore him in the playoffs more than he did this year. I don’t believe that his on-ball ability is fully developed yet, either. The foundation of who he is as a player is established, but there are supporting layers he can add.

If one thing’s clear after last season, it’s that Braun is highly committed to making those strides. Denver should want him to be part of its long-term future alongside Nikola Jokic, who’s an advocate for the young guard. One way to possibly get Braun’s AAV down could be to offer him five years for a higher total dollar amount.

For reference, 2021 draftees Jalen Suggs (Orlando) and Jalen Johnson (Atlanta) both signed five-year extensions last offseason for $150 million, when the cap was lower. Is Braun in that same class of player? Is his ceiling higher or lower? His floor? Several angles to consider when evaluating what percentage of the cap he’s worth.

Hey Bennett, what’s the rotation going to look like this year? We picked up so many pieces that our depth looks amazing on paper. I have a starting five of Nikola Jokic, Aaron Gordon, Cam Johnson, Jamal Murray and Christian Braun. And then we could play Bruce Brown, Tim Hardaway Jr., Jonas Valanciunas, Peyton Watson, Julian Strawther and Jalen Pickett. That’s 11 guys deep.

— Mike, Denver

“You really would like to have a long rotation to start the season,” David Adelman told The Denver Post in Las Vegas, “and then let things play out as they will.”

I think the first-year head coach is likely to tinker with that rotation a lot throughout the regular season. It’s difficult to assess exactly how much depth the Nuggets have at this point (you never know who might have a down season or injury), but what they indisputably do have is an abundance of options. You’d like to think that at least one of Strawther or Hardaway will be an effective backup shooting guard, whereas you were holding your breath last season that Strawther could be consistently dependable in that role as an NBA sophomore.

The same goes for the architecture of the frontcourt. Watson can theoretically play more on the wing than in previous years, but he could also provide reinforcements at the four if Holmes struggles to find his footing. Or Holmes can slide to the five when Denver gives Jokic a night off and Valanciunas starts. Not everything is going to work, but the Nuggets should have enough moving parts to gracefully navigate the ideas that don’t.

I wouldn’t be shocked to see all 11 of the players you mentioned in the opening-night rotation, but that could eventually morph into an arrangement where nine or 10 guys play every game, with the ninth and 10th spots dependent on the matchup or the hot hand.

Bennett, I know it makes sense financially for Jokic to delay extension talks until next year, but should we be worried about him joining Luka in L.A. at all?

— Ashley, Golden

The reality of the NBA is that anytime a player of Jokic’s pedigree chooses not to extend with his current team, it’s going to be fodder for speculation. The talk show segments and greedy Laker fans are kind of unavoidable, even in cases like this where the financial incentive to decline an extension is pretty obvious.

The Luka trade taught me to never say the word “impossible” about a hypothetical transaction. But my advice would be that it’s pointless to live in fear of losing a player who’s never given any indication he wants to leave. I think it would take a pretty disastrous season in Denver for Jokic to consider turning down the extension next summer. Even if the Nuggets fall short again in the playoffs, their recent coaching, front office and roster moves have sent a clear message that they’re not treating their superstar’s prime with complacency.

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