Like the OKC Thunder with Lu Dort, Denver was forced to trade away key contributor Peyton Watson this offseason due to financial constraints.
Of course, the after effects for both squads have proven to be completely different.
With the Dort situation, Oklahoma City's primary objective was to duck under the dreaded second-apron heading into next season. With his $17.7 million salary now Atlanta's responsibility, Sam Presti has his payroll nearly $7 million shy of the aforementioned threshold.
The same cannot be said for the Nuggets. Though they avoided ponying up a whopping $88 million with Watson's new contract signed with the Cavaliers, Denver is still pigeonholed within the second apron.
Now, in their defense, the Thunder are one of the main reasons for their financial predicament, as they played hardball with Spencer Jones' offer sheet, which Denver ultimately matched.
However, instead of waiting for Watson's valuation to price him out of town before executing a financially driven move, being proactive like the Thunder were with Dort and pulling off some sort of exchange involving the $23 million left on Cameron Johnson's deal, or simply not matching Jones' $12 million offer, would have likely been the more strategic cost-cutting decision.
In the end, Denver soundly resides within the second apron and finds one of the club's brightest young talents departing as a result.
Taking a page out of Oklahoma City's playbook a bit earlier in the summer likely would have been highly beneficial for the Nuggets.
Thunder have Nuggets in precarious situation for short and long term
Not only were the Thunder a driving force in the Nuggets' entry into the second apron with the whole Spencer Jones free agency dilemma, but they also have the ball club in quite a precarious situation from a future draft pick standpoint.
With key guys like Michael Porter Jr., Tim Hardaway Jr., and Peyton Watson all leaving over the last two seasons, many are curious how the financially restricted Nuggets will look to fill out their roster over the coming years to keep a title-worthy supporting cast around superstar Nikola Jokic.
Generally speaking, the best way for a team in this kind of situation to approach such a task is by utilizing their capital to bring on low-cost, promising young talent in the coming drafts.
Unfortunately for them, a number of their picks are owned by other clubs, with two, in particular, currently in the hands of the Thunder.
With the rights to their 2027 first-round (via the 2022 Peyton Watson trade) and 2029 first-round (via 2023 draft pick consolidation trade) picks owned by OKC, Denver's collection is rather limited over the next several years.
The Thunder are truly proving to be a thron in the side of the Nuggets as they look to remain competitive in the Western Conference.
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