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A new era is underway.
On Tuesday, Josh Kroenke, Vice Chairman of KSE, introduced two new members of the Nuggets' revamped front office: Ben Tenzer, Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations, and Jonathan Wallace, Executive Vice President of Player Personnel.
"I'm really excited to pair these two guys together because I think they have really complementary skill sets that are going to serve this organization incredibly well moving forward," Kroenke told the sea of reporters at Ball Arena.
Tenzer has been with the organization for 20 years, working his way up from an intern position he took in 2005. Along the way, he served as a Legal Analyst, Director of Basketball Operations, and two seasons as General Manager of Denver's G League affiliate, the Grand Rapids Gold. Now, he's one of the key decision-makers for a championship-winning organization.
"When I got this internship in 2005, I felt like I hit the jackpot. So, you can imagine how I feel now," Tenzer said through a laugh.
Wallace, meanwhile, got his start with the Nuggets in 2019 as a Basketball Operations Associate. He's spent the last three seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves as their Director of Player Personnel as well as the General Manager of their G-League affiliate, the Iowa Wolves.
The return to Denver is a bit of a homecoming for Wallace.
"Familiarity is always key in this situation. Being able to work with good people has always been at the top of my list. Knowing Ben prior, knowing individuals that make up our front office, coaching staff, it just seemed like a no-brainer," he said. "Having worked with Jamal, Nikola, AG, and Mike, that's always an added bonus, as well."
Kroenke detailed Denver's search in finding a new front office, which was both diligent and thorough. He spoke to a variety of people to gain the best possible perspective for this new era of Nuggets basketball.
"I talked to a lot of different people from a lot of different areas and gained a lot of different perspectives, both in the basketball world and outside the basketball world, and really nailed down what the Denver Nuggets need, and that's the margins on the outside of our roster," he said on Tuesday.
Collaboration is the name of the game here with this new front office. Wallace and Tenzer each bring different strengths to the table, and they'll be given equal opportunities to showcase those skills. Prospective trade calls, for example, could be answered or made by either executive depending on the situation. After all, it's a relationship industry.
"I think that they both will," Kroenke said about Wallace and Tenzer speaking with executives from other teams. "I think that from the outside looking in, sometimes people have a false sense of how things actually go down in the professional sports world. Sometimes, that's owner talking to owner. Sometimes, that's President talking to President. That's basketball operations staff talking to basketball operations staff. There are a lot of different ways that deals get done in the NBA, and a lot of that is through relationships. I think that our organization has great relationships at all levels throughout the league, and we'll continue to have different conversations in different ways, with different teams, with different people."
Collaboration doesn't always mean agreement, and to Wallace and Tenzer, that's a good thing. Different perspectives are refreshing; they allow you to view situations from other angles to make the best possible decision.
"It's really healthy to disagree, and we have a great group. We disagree constantly," Tenzer said. "What's important is we make a decision together, and we're united. We have great leaders. Josh, Mr. [Stan] Kroenke, Kevin Demoff, and Mike Neary. We have great people around to help navigate these things."
Josh Kroenke expanded upon his role over the next couple of months, saying he would be more hands-on to get this new leadership team fully acclimated. After all, we're at a very busy point in the NBA calendar. The 2025 NBA Draft kicks off on Wednesday, and free agency is on the very near horizon.
"In times of transition, I need to be a little bit more hands-on. So, I'm going to be around quite a bit as these guys are kind of assuming their roles, making sure things are moving smoothly. But at a certain point, I'm not saying I let go of the rope, but you have to let people do their jobs. And my role with the Nuggets is not a daily one. I'll be checking in with them probably every few days, weekly. And then as the season starts, the cadence of those conversations changes based on what's going on," he explained.
The brand-new front office already has a plan in place for the busy transactional week. The goal, according to Wallace and Tenzer, is to improve on the fringes and increase the team's depth.
"We have to be really conscious of the margins. We've got to be very deliberate. The time is now," Wallace said. "[Nikola Jokić] is, obviously, a generational talent, and how he elevates the level of play of so many people around him, we've got to make sure that we find some more shooting, address some of the defensive concerns, but I think we have both young individuals here that can step up and do that as we continue to develop them, as well as we'll look outside and see what makes sense."
Up first is the NBA Draft. Currently, the Nuggets do not have any picks in the first or second round, but that can obviously change.
"I think right now, being patient, checking out the landscape, and seeing what's there and what could come our way. We'll do our due diligence to be ahead of the curve and be prepared for whatever might shake out," Wallace said ahead of Wednesday's draft.
"We have a great group of front office people who have been working around the clock before Jon started. We feel very comfortable with the draft, and we're always going to be aggressive in getting a good player," Tenzer said.
Next up is free agency. Moratorium opens on Sunday, June 30th, at 4 p.m. MT. That's when teams can officially negotiate deals with free agents.
It's when the fun begins.
Wallace shared his perspective on how to remain competitive in a Western Conference that's gotten younger and deeper. The Nuggets can use free agency to achieve those team-building goals.
"The West, specifically, it's gotten younger. It's gotten deeper. Depth is one of those things that you have to address," he said. "I think the IQ is so high here, positional size is so high here, you’re further along than you think you are. Now, it's just adding a few more pieces that can just give these guys, honestly, some rest."
Those depth pieces will only supplement the team's championship-winning starting lineup and bevy of young, promising role players. Wallace and Tenzer showered those young players with praise, stating that the best way to develop is by providing continuous opportunity on the court.
"The easiest way to develop is time. Over the past couple of years, they've gotten more experience and played in real games and real situations. We have the utmost confidence in them," Wallace said.
One of those promising youngsters is DaRon Holmes II, the Nuggets' first-round selection in 2024. Holmes missed all of his first year with a torn right Achilles tendon, and he'll redshirt that rookie season in 2025-26.
Tenzer said his road to recovery begins in Summer League.
"We want to not rush him back from his injury, and we'll just allow him to take his time, but he's playing in Summer League. We're not going to put pressure on him coming back, but we expect him to be healthy and ready to go," he said.
Denver remains incredibly high on its multi-positional big man.
"In the age of positionless basketball and the type of system that we play, he has actual skill sets with his shooting, with his rim protection, with his mobility, to where we're going to be able to highlight the way he plays and let him get more comfortable just getting those reps at this point," Wallace said.
The future of the Nuggets is in good hands.