As one of the worst teams in the Western Conference last season, the Denver Nuggets have had a mediocre offseason in terms of accruing talent for next year. One of the biggest offseason moves the Nuggets made was offloading the contract of star point guard Ty Lawson to the Houston Rockets, ridding the team of a problematic player who had lost all motivation while playing in Denver and became an abusive alcoholic.

In terms of the starting lineup, the Nuggets managed to re-sign both Jameer Nelson and Will Barton, both guards who will figure to get steady minutes behind No. 7 overall pick Emmanuel Mudiay in the rotation. Contracts still haven’t been settled with some of the Nuggets’ starting frontcourt players. Both Danilo Gallinari and Kenneth Faried are waiting for Nuggets management to make final contract offers, and based on how each player performed last season, those contracts will be coming soon.

By trading Lawson, the Nuggets also managed to acquire Kostas Papanikolaou, Joey Dorsey and Nick Johnson, all players who will be third string options in the rotation. This bolsters the Nuggets’ depth only by a hair, but the fact that they managed to receive so much for Lawson in the current state that he is in is a blessing all in itself.

Overall, the Nuggets didn’t have the most successful offseason and will most likely continue to ride the bottom of the Western Conference. Mudiay is a great player, but he can only carry so much of the offensive load. The Nuggets need to trade for another bona fide All-Star to bring this franchise back to contention in the West. Until then, the organization will continue to struggle.

Grade: B-

Jared Doyle is a Miami Heat writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @outofboundsjay, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google