As painful as Sunday’s Game 7 loss might be, there’s little doubt the Nuggets arrived ahead of schedule this season.
They went from one game out of the playoffs a year ago to the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference and one win shy of the franchise’s first conference finals trip in a decade.
Now, with a big decision looming on Paul Millsap, and a certain unknown quantity set for his much-anticipated Summer League reveal, the Nuggets find themselves entering a pivotal offseason.
If the Nuggets decline their $30 million team option on Millsap — and let’s face it, they’d be crazy not to consider it — the franchise will be a player in both the free-agent and trade markets this summer.