Well, here we are back at the draft again. The Nuggets again have the fourteenth pick, another middling pick. For the past four years the Nuggets top picks have been the 13, 7, 7, and 11. While overall the Nuggets have done more good than bad, they haven't separated themselves from the rest of the NBA in any meaningful way.

With Plumlee's onerous contract dragging down the roster, it looks like the next four years are going to be more of the same. There's a chance the Nuggets could massively outperform the sum of their parts but the more likely outcome is that someone will get injured, they'll continue to overpay mediocre players and continue on somewhere in the middle of the West. (If I was Barton I'd be really excited about a potential overpay. After years of bidding against themselves with Faried, Arthur, Chandler and Plumlee, the Nuggets have shown themselves to be excellent at the art of getting taken.)

This Nuggets team has had a lot of injury problems. Chandler, Jokic, Harris, and Millsap have all spent time injured. Believing the whole team will be healthy is not just optimistic, it's comedic. This team is dependent on the various parts meshing perfectly or some of the youngsters taking big steps. Meshing is impossible with guys consistently injured and the young guys don't seem to be ready for a big leap, perhaps a middling one.

This isn't just complaining, I'm going somewhere with this. Rebuilding while competing is by far the most difficult way to rebuild and to do so means a near supernatural level of prediction. How much certain players will improve. Who in the draft will be a star, nobody gets these things right all the time. But there are easier predictions than others. Ayton, Doncic, and Bagley will all be good. Not hard to predict. What the Nuggets need to be willing to do is trade several of their good players for a great one.

The draft is that time. Once a team actually drafts a player they hang on to them until it's proven the player is good or a bust. At times a team can be talked into a trade, especially a team like Sacramento or Memphis. Both franchises are classically inept in the draft and both are desperate for the playoffs. Offer them Jamal Murray and Gary Harris. Try and dump Faried while you're at it. Get back that second superstar. In Sacramento's draft position there will certainly be a star available. I personally would love Doncic but Jaren Jr and Bagley are going to be really good.

Another option is to offer Murray and Harris to Philly for Fultz and filler. I don't know exactly what's going on with Fultz but a lot of people think he's back on track. Whatever the case his value is definitely low and he could be gotten below value. This is complicit on the Nuggets FO knowing more about this situation than is currently public.

However it gets done, the opportunity is here for a second superstar, the price is just going to be high. I hope the Nuggets are willing to pay that price. The alternative is to hope that somehow the Nuggets get luckier than everyone else and strike gold with another Jokic or have perfect health and several of the young guys hit their ceilings.

In my opinion the second superstar option is a much better solution than hope and luck. Make it happen.