Western Conference

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In the search for the most active Northwest Division team of the summer, look no further than Salt Lake City.

As Nuggets.com wraps up its offseason review of each team in the Northwest Division, we turn our focus to the Utah Jazz.

Background: After trading starting shooting guard Randy Foye to Denver and losing stalwart forwards Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap to free agency last summer, the Jazz entered rebuilding mode.

The changes allowed promising young players Derrick Favors, Gordon Hayward, Enes Kanter and Trey Burke to play big minutes, but the result was a 25-57 record and last place in the division.

Summer moves: After missing the playoffs for the third time in four seasons, the Jazz made a coaching change in June, naming Quin Snyder to replace Tyrone Corbin.

Utah was just getting started with its summer plan. The Jazz took combo guard Dante Exum with the fifth overall pick of the 2014 NBA Draft and added forward Rodney Hood at No. 23.

Utah later acquired veteran sharpshooter Steve Novak in a trade with the Toronto Raptors and then re-signed Gordon to a contract extension. The Jazz also traded for guard Carrick Felix and signed free-agent forward Trevor Booker.

Big picture: With a potential starting lineup of Burke, Exum, Kanter, Hayward and Favors, the Jazz are going to be among the youngest teams in the league next season.

They also could be among the most intriguing.

Last season, the Phoenix Suns proved that a first-year coach (Jeff Hornacek) and a talented young nucleus could make some noise in the Western Conference. The Jazz would be thrilled to follow that blueprint in 2014-15.

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Busy summer in Salt Lake City as Jazz try to rise in the West

When the Denver Nuggets gathered for a final time in April, coach Brian Shaw told the players to look around the room. History said that not everyone would be back next season.

While that proved to be true, the Nuggets haven’t made wholesale changes to their roster this summer; they could have as many as 11 returning players when training camp opens in October.

As Nuggets.com continues its look at what offseason moves each team in the Northwest Division has made since the season ended last spring, we turn our focus to the Nuggets.

Background: The Nuggets began their first season under Shaw with a wealth of depth, but the rotation options gradually dwindled as the season went along. Denver players combined to miss 294 games due to injury or illness, second in the NBA only to the Los Angeles Lakers.

By the final week of March, the Nuggets had lost four players (Danilo Gallinari, J.J. Hickson, JaVale McGee and Nate Robinson) for the season. Starting point guard Ty Lawson sprained his ankle on April 4 and sat out the final six games.

Beset by injuries, the Nuggets finished 36-46 and landed in the NBA Draft Lottery for the first time in 11 years.

Summer moves: With the challenge of working around 12 guaranteed contracts, general manager Tim Connelly has been as aggressive as possible over the past month.

Denver acquired shooting guard Arron Afflalo from the Orlando Magic in the hours leading up to the NBA Draft. Connelly then traded the 11th overall pick, along with forward Anthony Randolph, to Chicago in exchange for the rights to center Jusuf Nurkic (16th overall) and guard Gary Harris (19th) on draft night.

The Nuggets aren’t necessarily done making changes, but Connelly and Shaw would be comfortable with the roster as it stands heading into 2014-15.

Big picture: Denver’s biggest free-agent acquisition might just come in the form of a clean bill of health.

Gallinari, Hickson, McGee and Robinson are all ahead of schedule in their rehabilitation programs. If they can return to full strength, the Nuggets will be just about three-deep at every position.

The depth is essential to Shaw’s “Wear ‘em down, wear ‘em out” philosophy as the Nuggets try to overpower the opposition in waves. If Denver reverses its fortunes in the health department, a return to the postseason might be around the corner.

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Nuggets make roster improvements through draft, trades

Three weeks into free agency, all is quiet on the Northwestern front.

With the exception of Thabo Sefolosha leaving the Oklahoma City Thunder for the Atlanta Hawks, no other Northwest Division team has lost a projected starter since the free agents could start negotiating with teams on July 1.

Don’t mistake the lack of free-agent movement for inactivity in the Northwest. The Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Thunder, Portland Trail Blazers and Utah Jazz have made moves to retain their own free agents or add through the NBA Draft.

In order of finish in 2013-14, Nuggets.com is offering a look at what each team in has done since the season ended last spring. Today, we examine Oklahoma City.

Background: Behind MVP forward Kevin Durant and point guard Russell Westbrook, the Thunder won 59 games and cruised to its fourth straight division title. Oklahoma City advanced to the Western Conference finals before falling to the eventual champion San Antonio Spurs in six games.

Summer moves: Expectations are high in OKC, but the Thunder hasn’t overreacted with roster upheaval. After losing Sefolosha and veteran reserves Caron Butler (Pistons) and Derek Fisher (retired), Oklahoma City signed free agents Anthony Morrow and Sebastian Telfair. Both players are 3-point threats who can stretch the floor and provide offense off the bench.
The Thunder also added center Mitch McGary (Michigan), forward Josh Huestis (Stanford) and point guard Semaj Christon (Xavier) through the draft.

Big picture: With Sefolosha gone, there’s now an opportunity for Palmer High School graduate Reggie Jackson to move into the starting lineup. Jackson averaged a career-high 13.1 points last season and can play both guard positions alongside Westbrook.
Durant is coming off a career year in which he was the runaway scoring leader; Westbrook remains one of the premier point guards in the NBA; and forward Serge Ibaka is a perennial defensive player of the year candidate.

With its successful nucleus in tact, the Thunder will be the odds-on favorites to win the Northwest Division again.

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Examining offseason moves in the Northwest Division

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