New Nuggets front office makes bold moves to shake up team

At the outset of free agency, the Nuggets surrendered an unprotected first-round pick in 2032 to swap disappointing forward Michael Porter, Jr. to the Brooklyn Nets for sharpshooter Cam Johnson. The Nuggets owed Porter $38.3M next season and a partially-guaranteed $40.8M for 2026-27, a big reason they had to attach a pick to make the deal.

Johnson is signed for the next two seasons at $43M, total, which gives the Nuggets far more flexibility to add talent around three-time MVP Nikola Jokic. They used it to bring back Bruce Brown, a key part of their 2023 title team.

Brown left for a lucrative free-agent deal after winning the title, when the salary cap rules prevented the Nuggets from offering Brown anything close to a contract commensurate with what he got from the Indiana Pacers. Denver didn't want to lose Brown and he didn't really want to go, having embraced Rocky Mountain life. Brown routinely wears cowboy hats and snakeskin boots to games, and spent last summer visiting a ranch in Colorado.

It's a beautiful reunion, and almost has to be considered as part of the Porter-Johnson swap. Johnson is two inches shorter than Porter and not quite the same three-point shooter — 39.2 percent for his career to Porter's 40.6. He's also two years older.

But Johnson also doesn't have the injury concerns of Porter, who missed one full season and all but nine games of another with injuries. He struggled greatly in this year's playoffs, averaging 9.1 points and shooting under 40 percent while playing through a shoulder injury.

In one evening, the Nuggets greatly improved their depth, ball handling and flexibility. Johnson can play both forward spots. Brown can passably play anywhere from shooting guard to power forward, with great instincts from cutting to the hoop that makes him a perfect complement to Jokic.

Some people speculated (including this author) that having two general managers might hurt the Nuggets' decision-making abilities. Two hours into free agency, the Nuggets were quite decisive indeed.