ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith has claimed that the Denver Nuggets will not win the NBA Championship in the 2025-26 season.
The Denver Nuggets are seven games behind the eventual champion Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals.
Their strong playoff effort came against the backdrop of a tumultuous end to the season that saw their head coach and general manager fired with four games remaining.
The Nuggets maintained their core this offseason, making David Adelman permanent and resetting for the season.
They added Bruce Brown, Jonas Valanciunas, and Cam Thomas, but lost Michael Porter Jr.
These additions to the existing team make the Nuggets one of the favorites to win the championship. But in one man’s eyes, that’s not the case.
The Denver Nuggets won the NBA Championship in 2023. And with Nikola Jokic, the evergreen MVP candidate, there’s always a chance.
Stephen A. Smith said at 7 p.m. in Brooklyn that he feels the Nuggets can earn a top-four seed in the West, but he doesn’t believe they can win the title.
Smith talked about their chances, saying, “I don’t think so in Denver. They’re going to be good players, they’re going to be a threat, but I think their path to a championship is closed.”
He admitted it was a “clever” move to bring back Bruce Brown, but it wasn’t enough to sway him.
Smith has another candidate in mind who he believes can upset the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder.
Stephen A. Smith believes the Dallas Mavericks can shock the NBA and win a title next season.
He explained: “My sleeper, and I’m not really a sleeper, but if Kyrie Irving comes back healthy and Anthony Davis is healthy, Dallas should be the favorite to win it all.
“Oklahoma is the reigning defending champion and had pretty much their way with most teams until the finals. Dallas is different.”
“Kyrie and those guys are their kryptonite. Cooper Flagg can play. Anthony Davis doesn’t have to play five. He’s active and Gafford can play. They’re their kryptonite.”
“If the Dallas Mavericks are healthy, I believe they can get a chip.”