Many signings were completed, but the Nuggets were still not favored. The defending champion may monopolize the West. General Manager won the bet

The 2025 NBA offseason was not as exciting and lively as many fans expected. However, there is a team with championship competitiveness that has achieved a significant leap in strength during this seemingly dull offseason. During this offseason, the Denver Nuggets experienced significant personnel changes. Major rotation players such as Michael Porter Jr., Russell Westbrook and Dario Salic have left the team one after another. These players have played an indispensable role in the team's previous games, and their departure once made the outside world worried about the Nuggets' prospects.

But it is amazing that the Nuggets did not suffer from their strength due to the loss of these personnel, but instead showed a good trend of increasing their strength. The team management has demonstrated outstanding vision and firm strategic determination. They have always carefully built a team with great championship appearance around super center Nikola Jokic. As the core of the team, Jokic has become a key hub for the Nuggets' offensive and defensive system with his outstanding ball merchandising, comprehensive technology and strong inside dominance. At the same time, the management quickly took action and actively introduced players with ready-to-fighting power such as Cameron Johnson, Bruce Brown, Jonas Valanciunas and Tim Hardaway II.

These players have their own characteristics and advantages. Their joining has injected new vitality and competitiveness into the Nuggets, making the team's lineup more diverse and more balanced and powerful. According to Andy Bailey, a senior reporter of "Open Stand", he announced the strength rankings of each team next season. The emergence of this list has attracted the attention of many fans and industry insiders. Among them, the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder leads the entire league. Following closely behind, the Denver Nuggets led by "Teacher Yo" Nikola Jokic.

Authentic, the Nuggets retained the core lineup of Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun, but when facing the strong and morale Thunder, the Nuggets still have many difficulties in defeating their opponents on the field. Although Nikola Jokic, the most valuable player in the NBA, is the world's top basketball player, and the team has also completed the reinforcement of the lineup; however, it is still difficult to win the championship trophy in 2026. After all, there are significant differences between the two teams. The former has just emerged in the championship background, and the latter's lineup needs to be adjusted for a long time, otherwise it will be difficult to make a difference in the playoffs.

After successfully eliminating the Indiana Pacers, the Oklahoma City Thunder demonstrated its determination to defend the title and firm determination. The team's general manager Preston acted decisively and quickly reached a consensus on renewal with defender Shea Gilgers-Alexander. Shay Gilgers - Alexander, as the core figure in the team's backcourt, has become a sharp blade for the Thunder's offensive end with his superb ball-handling skills, sharp breakthrough ability and scoring stability at critical moments.

Not only that, Chet Holmgren and Jaylen Williams both won super contracts worth over 100 million yuan. It is worth mentioning that even on the bench, Caruso, who is regarded as the team's surprise, also received a contract worth 80 million. Caruso has brought unexpected help to the team in the game with his active defensive attitude, tenacious fighting spirit and tactical execution at critical moments. The Thunder's big investment in player contract renewal and salary investment is undoubtedly contributing to the new season's title defense journey.