The Nuggets faced significant backlash during their controversial offseason this past summer.
Many fans and analysts were frustrated by the team’s approach, particularly their choice to let Kentavious Caldwell-Pope leave in free agency without bringing in a high-caliber replacement—instead relying on young players and budget-friendly veterans.
This move was widely criticized as a cost-saving decision during Nikola Jokic’s peak years, though in hindsight, it might have been justified. Caldwell-Pope’s offensive production has sharply declined in Orlando, making his three-year, $66 million deal look like an overpay from the start.
Christian Braun has actually outperformed expectations, proving to be an upgrade, which suggests the Nuggets made the right call. However, their other moves—particularly using their taxpayer midlevel exception on Dario Šarić—have backfired. Šarić has been ineffective, barely seeing the court while occupying a valuable roster spot and $5.2 million in salary.
The bigger issue is the missed opportunity. Denver could have used that exception to sign a more impactful player who could contribute to the rotation.
Given the team’s current depth struggles, almost anyone would have been more useful than Šarić, who can’t even get playing time. One particular free-agent miss stands out as a glaring mistake.
Former Nugget Malik Beasley lighting it up in Detroit
Malik Beasley, originally drafted by the Nuggets in 2017, was released by Milwaukee after just one underwhelming season and later signed a one-year, $6 million deal with the Pistons.
Though he showed flashes of potential early in Denver, Beasley struggled to establish himself as a consistent contributor on any team in the years that followed.
But this season has been a different story. Beasley has erupted as a key bench scorer for Detroit, averaging 16.3 points per game while knocking down 42% of his three-point attempts on a staggering 9.3 tries per game.
He’s been one of the best value signings of the offseason, playing a major role in the Pistons’ turnaround—more than tripling their win total from last year as they push for a top-five seed in the East.
His performance has even put him in the Sixth Man of the Year conversation.
It’s unclear if the Nuggets had a real shot at signing him, but on The Game Theory Podcast, Sam Vecenie and Bryce Simon noted that Beasley had almost no market and ultimately signed with Detroit for just slightly more than Denver could have offered.
Returning to the Nuggets could have been a golden opportunity for Beasley—earning major minutes, potentially starting in place of KCP, playing off Nikola Jokić’s gravity, and launching unlimited threes with the MVP setting him up.
He would’ve had to take a small pay cut, but the chance to revitalize his career in a perfect system could have been worth it. Instead, Denver missed out on both Beasley and Šarić, while Beasley is thriving in Detroit. A frustrating “what if” for the Nuggets.
