Ahead of Josh Kroenke’s season-ending news conference Friday, with just one championship during the Nikola Jokic era, is the franchise wasting the prime of its superstar?

Kyle Fredrickson, Broncos beat reporter 

Answer: No 

Everyone take a deep breath.  

It’s easy to panic after the Nuggets flamed out of the playoffs three straight years after winning the NBA title in 2023. Of course, it’s a disappointment. Of course, there will be changes this offseason. But to say the Nuggets are mismanaging the Nikola Jokic era is an overreaction.  

Jokic is 31 years old. His intense conditioning routine will ensure plenty more years of elite basketball in the future. Now, it’s up to team management to surround Jokic with the right supporting cast.  

All it takes is one impact signing to change everything. The Nuggets must take a big swing in a trade or free agency — and I mean a really big swing — that establishes Denver as a legitimate title contender for years and years.

Who comes to mind? I’m glad you asked. 

Does Kevin Durant see a path to a championship in Denver? Will Luka Doncic link up with an old friend in 2028 when his player option kicks in? Maybe Steph Curry wants to finish his career chasing rings with the Nuggets?  

I’m not here to explain how the front office can make the financials work. Let the salary cap nerds do their thing. But it’s going to take ambitious thinking to maximize the chance for Jokic to win another NBA title. It is a real possibility with the right front-office decision-making.

Tyler King, college sports reporter

Answer: Yes

Fair or not, the conversations about Jokic’s status as an all-time great went to a new level this season.

Former NBA coach Stan Van Gundy suggested Jokic might be the greatest player of all time, not just the best offensive player to ever play the game.

Plenty of other national media members have been quick to label Jokic as a top-10 player of all time.

While Jokic has consistently said he doesn’t want to talk about his legacy until his playing days are over, the conversation has been ongoing for years and isn’t slowing down anytime soon.

But if he’s going to be seriously considered one of the five to 10 best players in league history, he needs another championship. Just look at the most common legends referred to as top-10 players of all time.

Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Kareem Abdul-Jabbarr, Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Tim Duncan, Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, Steph Curry, Hakeem Olajuwon. That’s a group of 12 players who almost always come up in these discussions. Each of them has at least two championships, with 10 of them having three or more.

The Nuggets will say they firmly believe Jokic should be grouped among those all-time greats when he’s done. Well, they need to help get him another title to do so. 

That’s what the next five years should be about. And it will be a failure if 2023 ends up being the only championship of the era.