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As the dust settles on the Denver Nuggets lifting the 2023 NBA Championship trophy, the majority of stories will be surrounding Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray. However, Denver also had three veteran players who won their first championship on June 12, despite chasing the elusive victory for their entire careers.
Between them, Jeff Green, Ish Smith and DeAndre Jordan have a combined 44 years of NBA experience, 41 of which failed to end with a championship trophy. That's how hard it is to become a champion in the NBA; three players combined for nearly half a century's worth of games before finally being crowned champions.
As such, it should come as no surprise that the veteran trio was living their best life when celebrating their 2023 championship trophy.
Unfortunately, none of that trio have a guaranteed contract for next season and may not return to the Nuggets roster. However, after so much success as a unit this year, it would be logical if we saw at least one of Jeff Green, Ish Smith or DeAndre Jordan re-sign with the team - with the most logical choice being Green.
As we enter the offseason, and every other team begin to tweak their roster in a bid to rival the Nuggets, Denver's front office will likely be working overtime to ensure it keeps as much of this rotation together as possible.
JJ Redick predicted a Denver Nuggets championship
In a recent episode of JJ Redick's "Old Man and the Three" podcast, the former NBA sharpshooter heaped praise on the Denver Nuggets duo of Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray.
"Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic is the best duo in the NBA. Their skillsets complement each other so well, and they can play their two-man action in so many different ways... Their ability to mix up different actions and just make it fluid... They are so connected on the basketball court."
With their first championship now in the books, it will be interesting to see how Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic look to improve their games ahead of next season, where the Denver Nuggets will be expected to defend their title.
Mika Malone wants a dynasty
According to Denver Nuggets coach Mike Malone, his team has all the ingredients necessary for a new dynasty after finally winning its first championship. He said:
"We want more. Pat Riley said something many years ago, I used to have it up on my board when I was a head coach in Sacramento. It talked about the evolution in this game and how you go from a nobody to an upstart.
"And you go from an upstart to a winner and a winner to a contender and a contender to a champion. The last step after a champion is to be a dynasty. "
With so much talent throughout the top-eight of their rotation, the Denver Nuggets should have no problem making another deep playoff run next season, so long as their core contributors can remain healthy.
