2. Move on from Michael Porter Jr. and/or Kentavious Caldwell Pope
Another issue for the Denver Nuggets this postseason was they did not get enough from their wings like Michael Porter Jr. and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. In the case of Michael Porter Jr., he was fairly productive as a scorer and shooter, but his performance did not match his contract which is worth nearly $36 million per year. Paying him this much has affected their ability to fill out the rest of their roster and they have to consider trading him to improve the depth of their roster.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope played poorly this postseason and his contract expires after next season. I’m not sure what his trade value is at his age, but the Nuggets should consider replacing him with a wing who fits well next to Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray and who will be reliable in the postseason.
All of this is easier said than done, but it’s hard to imagine the Nuggets consistently being an elite team while paying Porter Jr. and Caldwell-Pope nearly $50 million combined each season. Their output simply isn’t worth this kind of investment. If possible, they need to make some major adjustments to their wing rotation.