"With the Porter extension about to start, with Aaron Gordon's extension about to start, you're going to go into luxury tax" - Bobby Marks confident Denver Nuggets will have to spend to be back amongst contenders

The Denver Nuggets ended their season with a first-round exit after narrowly staving off a play-in game. The Golden State Warriors won 4-1 in the first round.

"This year, they've overachieved...If you're expecting Aaron gordon to be your second-best player and take this team to a conference finals or NBA finals without Michael Porter Jr. and Jamal Murray, it's fools gold," Marks stated.

"The hard part now is that you're going to be a luxury tax team. With the Porter extension about to start, with Aaron Gordon's extension about to start, you're going to go into luxury tax" Marks continued.

The Denver Nuggets will be a luxury tax team for the first time since the 2009-10 NBA season with all reports indicating that Nikola Jokić will sign the $254 million supermax.

Can the Denver Nuggets contend next season?

Denver Nuggets v Golden State Warriors - Game Five

Nikola Jokić went from being a second-round pick to a perennial All-Star and then to a two-time MVP with legitimate potential to lead the Nuggets to an NBA championship. Jokić, however, like any other superstar in the league, cannot do it by himself.

Jamal Murray sat out the entire 2021-22 NBA season, and Michael Porter Jr. played in only 9 games, missing the majority of the season after back surgery. Both Murray and Porter Jr. are critical to the success of this team. Historically, the Nuggets have a win percentage of 60% with both Murray and Jokić on the floor.

The Nuggets' contention rests solely on Murray and Porter Jr.'s health and the quality of the players around Jokić, Murray and Porter Jr.

Aaron Gordon and Bones Hyland have shown flashes of brilliance throughout the season and in the playoffs. They could work as key pieces off the bench. One of the biggest upsides for the Denver Nuggets this season has been the acquisition of big man DeMarcus Cousins.

In the first-round Game 5 loss, Cousins scored 19 points on 8-12 shooting, which is tied for his third-best scoring performance this season. He recorded 31 points and 9 rebounds in a fifteen-point win over the Rockets in the regular season.

Cousins had an average plus-minus of +0.6 in the playoffs. This stat bodes well for the Nuggets considering that Cousins often plays while Jokić rests.

A twin-tower situation with Cousins at five and Jokić at the four could be somewhat lethal if Murray and Porter Jr. return for the upcoming season.