From a championship to a stagnant pool! What did Booth’s three-year operation make the gold digs look like?

Recently, a popular saying in the Nuggets fan circle: "Boes is gone, but the mess he left behind is enough for the new general manager to have a pot of drink. "

From taking over in June 2022 to being fired in April 2025, the former general manager spent three years to tossing a championship team into a "stagnant pool" - the salary space is locked, the future draft picks are sold out, and the bench is all "professional households". Today, let’s talk about how many outrageous things the general manager who can “send Coach Ma Long” has done.

Look at 2022 first: The start is pretty good, but the foreshadowing has laid down. When Booth took office, fans are looking forward to it. In the offseason in 2022, he did two beautiful things: one was to exchange Patton + Morris for Pope from the Wizards, making up for the 3D shortcomings; the other was to use the No. 21, No. 30 and No. 46 to select Braun, Watson and Camargate. The first two have now become "black and white double evil spirits", especially Braun, who entered the playoff rotation in the rookie season and performed very well in the finals G3. The free market signs Bruce Brown (13 million in 2 years) and Jeff Green, and this operation is now "a stroke of a god".

But the problem begins here - Booth especially loves to "open the back door" for the contract. Pope's contract renewal is 30 million for two years, and the second year's player option; Brown's contract renewal is 13 million for two years, and the second year's player option. It seemed like "savoring space" at that time, but later Pope and Brown ran away because of this option and let the champions go for nothing.

2023: After winning the championship, Booth seemed to suddenly "float". In order to prove that he "can continue to build a team", he began to frantically exchange the future for the present: sending the first round protected by 29 years to the Thunder, and changing the low pick in the first round in 24 years; and sending this and No. 40 to the Pacers, and changing the No. 29 + No. 32. With such a fuss, the Nuggets have been in the Magic in the first round in 25 years, the Thunder in the first round in 27 years, and the Thunder in the first round in 29 years. The first round in the next three years is basically gone, which is equivalent to selling all the "seeds for building a team". What about the results of the

draft? Strauser was selected for the No. 28 draw (scorer but poor defense), Pickett was selected for the No. 32 draw (mediocre talent), and Tyson was selected for the No. 37 draw (cannot enter the rotation). What's even more heartbreaking is that there is a high-quality player GG Jackson in the 45th pick in the same class. Booth chose the worse one in order to "improve the pick". This operation was "beated" by Celtics general manager Stevens - he used the No. 25 draw to exchange for 5 second rounds, leaving enough flexibility.

The free market is even more outrageous: give Reggie Jackson 10 million for two years (the second year player option), and give Najib 32 million for four years (the last year player option). Reggie averaged 10.2 points and 3.8 assists last season. Although he was no longer the same as before, he could hold the ball; what about Najib? I'm still in the team now, and I've only played for four years in the first year of a long appointment, so I can't play in the playoffs at all. The most annoying thing is that Booth let go of the rotation Bruce Brown and Jeff Green, who could play rotation, and ended up signing "scrap materials" such as Justin Holiday and Jordan Jr. with a basic salary, and the bench changed from "champion puzzle" to "care home".

2024: The operation is outrageous, and the fans called "refunded money"

The 2024 trading deadline, Booth directly "showed it badly" - did nothing. After losing to the Timberwolves in the second round of the playoffs, the whole league saw that the Nuggets were not good as a substitute. As a result, Booth continued to "break down" during the offseason: he paid 25, 29 and 30 to send Reggie to the Hornets for air; in order to choose Holmes on the draft night, he used the No. 28, 56 picks + 26 and 31-year second picks and the Suns 4 for 1. As a result, the Suns were just hesitant, Booth himself added a second round, and was laughed as a "snatcher" by the industry. What's even worse is that Holmes's Achilles tendon was reimbursed after the first game, and the money was thrown away in vain.

The free market operation is even more confusing: Pope can sign first and then change, and he insists on letting him use the Magic in vain; he used the mini middle class to sign Saric (10.59 million in 2 years, the second year player option), but he played 16 games, averaging 3.5 points and 3.1 rebounds, and 26.9% of three-pointers; he signed Westbrook (6.77 million in 2 years, the second year player option) and was designated by Jokic, and it has nothing to do with his operation. The most amazing thing is that the easy-to-use Justin Holiday in the playoffs was just because Malone didn't need to choose a rookie - this is not the general manager, it is clearly a "palace fighter".

Nuggets are now: a pool of stagnant water, where is the future?

By 2025, all the "legacy" left by Booth broke out: Holmes was reimbursed, Saric was abandoned, Pickett and Tyson could not enter the rotation, Najib had a salary of 32 million - on the roster of 15+3, only 6.5 people could play in the playoffs. What’s even more troublesome is the player options of Saric and Westbrook, the contract renewal of Braun and Watson, the deal of Porter Jr., and the team building in the post-Jokic era - the new general manager is not taking over the team, but a "hot potato".

To be honest, Booth had a good vision when he was a scout in his early years (selected Braun and Watson), but after becoming the general manager, he negotiated like "rookies", operated like "gamblers", renewed like "providing benefits", and bet the team's future on his fantasy of "the draft is very good". What's the result? The fantasy was shattered, and the team was cheated by him.

It can only be said that it is not unfair for Booth to be fired - he is not building a team, but "demolizing the team". The mess he left behind may take 3 years or even longer to make up for. This also reminds all teams: the general manager is not a "draft machine", nor is it a "contract printer". His vision, pattern, and negotiation ability are indispensable.

After all, the team's future cannot withstand such "magical operations".