Denver Post beat writer Bennett Durando opens up the Nuggets Mailbag periodically during the season and offseason. You can submit a Nuggets- or NBA-related question here.

What’s the latest on the GM search? Are they just waiting to announce Ben Tenzer?

— Dave, Aurora

Tenzer and Matt Lloyd are the two names I’ve heard most when asking people around the league about the Nuggets general manager job. Neither has experience as a director of basketball operations, but both are regarded as personable, smart and strong at building relationships. Those are going to be important characteristics in Denver. The Nuggets need someone who can help establish a better culture inside the organization and communicate well with agents.

“You could do a lot worse than Matt Lloyd,” one agent told me recently, speaking fondly of the current Timberwolves GM under Tim Connelly. (For the record: Connelly indicated this week to reporters that he’s not leaving Minnesota any time soon.)

The Tenzer smoke makes sense. He has been effusively praised by Nuggets President and Governor Josh Kroenke for his input since taking over as interim GM in April, and the Kroenkes have a history of hiring internally. I see Tenzer as a leading candidate right now. I also wouldn’t be surprised if he got promoted to GM with an outside hire made at president of basketball operations.

There could be other names waiting to emerge still. The Nuggets should want to have someone in place by the end of next week, with the draft and free agency nearing.

Saw some reports from earlier in the season that the Nuggets were really considering trading Michael Porter Jr. Do you see Denver actually doing it in the offseason and who are some players you’d throw in return packages?

— Jed Katz, Upper Saddle River, N.J.

Does the new GM (Ben Tenzer or whomever) finally cut bait with Porter? Michael Malone had a point that the bench was weak and inexperienced, but the true weakness of the Nuggets is MPJ and his albatross of a contract. Your thoughts?

— Joe, Denver

You guys are giving me déjà vu all over again. This was the most popular question leading up to the trade deadline last season, and it’ll probably be the most popular question before the next one, too.

I don’t think the Nuggets will trade Porter this summer.

I’m never going to say it’s impossible. The Timberwolves wouldn’t have thought last August that Karl-Anthony Towns would be traded by training camp.

But Josh Kroenke’s public comments since the season ended have been illuminating. It’s clear that ownership is leaning toward giving the “core four” another year together, while hoping to patch together a better depth chart via some combination of player development and free agency discount shopping. “I think a lot of our answers are internal right now,” Kroenke said.

Read those tea leaves and consider that Porter’s importance to Denver’s current roster — Positional size! Volume 3-point shooting! — exceeds what his value would be on the trade market. To 29 other teams, he’s still a questionable contract with a dubious medical record. What you have is a likely outcome where, even if the Nuggets entertain MPJ trades, they don’t find one that satisfies them.

Teams have to plan out their salary cap sheets for multiple years. The Nuggets are positioned to narrowly avoid the second apron next season, even with Jamal Murray’s extension taking effect. But the following year, they’ll be accounting for Aaron Gordon’s $9 million raise and Christian Braun’s new contract, assuming he and Denver agree to an extension this fall. (I expect that to happen.)

The team might have to do some serious salary-shaving in the 2026 offseason if it wants to stay out of the second apron. Porter will have one year left on his deal at that point, making the dollar amount more palatable to other teams. Common sense says next summer is the appropriate time to pounce on a trade after one more swing with the current starting lineup. Go ahead and mark your calendars to ask me about this topic yet again.

After the second Game 7 loss in two years to teams that were much more physical than the Nuggets, a couple of questions. Not that the outcome would have been different, but would the whistle have been different if David Adelman did not have “interim” in his title while coaching against a former Coach of the Year? Having seen Doug Moe get after the refs and change the way a game was officiated, I was disappointed that Adelman didn’t get a T or at least a fine for postgame comments during the OKC series. Do the players believe a coach has their back when he doesn’t make known his displeasure with the officiating?

— Shawn Thompson, Denver

Well, your second question is easily answered by the players themselves. Even immediately after losing Game 7, they responded with resounding positivity to the idea of Adelman being their full-time head coach. So I don’t think his willingness to be performative was top of mind.

I’ll also remind you that Adelman did call out the refs after Game 6 of Denver’s first-round series when he spoke to reporters that night. Every coach has to choose how to navigate this stuff as a public-facing figure, and I suspect he’ll be one who uses sly sarcasm when he wants to sharpen the knives.

During games, I noticed Adelman giving the crew an earful more often than I think you’re giving him credit for. He might not ever compile as many technical fouls or ejections as Michael Malone, but I wouldn’t underestimate his ability to turn up the intensity.

If you thought the Nuggets generally got an unfair whistle against the Thunder, I get it. But the reason would have nothing to do with Adelman. Oklahoma City sets the terms every game by defending so fiercely that it forces referees to reckon with the fact that they can’t call everything. There also remains the cheat code of putting a small guard on the unguardable Nikola Jokic. For years, he has been flustered by the contact an Alex Caruso or OG Anunoby can get away with in the post, relative to someone like Karl-Anthony Towns. Mark Daigneault rather brilliantly waited to play that card until it was absolutely necessary.

For what it’s worth, whatever you think about the OKC whistle, it’s not even close to the top reason Denver lost that series.

Bennett, were you as surprised as I was to see Pascal Siakam win Eastern Conference Finals MVP over Tyrese Haliburton? It reminded me of the Lakers series (in 2023) when Jamal was our leading scorer, but Jokic was still our most valuable player. In that case, Jokic got the award. Siakam had great shooting percentages, but the Pacers don’t win that series without Haliburton, in my opinion.

— Andrew, Denver

It can be true that Indiana probably doesn’t win the series without either star playing at an extremely high level. But yes, Haliburton would’ve been my series MVP without much handwringing. His play style is the basis of the Pacers’ unorthodox blueprint for an NBA Finals run. Even when his step-back 3s aren’t falling, he’s creating basketball advantage and cultivating healthy offense like few players can. He still averaged 21 points (well over his regular-season total), six rebounds, 10.5 assists, 1.7 turnovers and 2.5 steals per game. He achieved point guard nirvana with his Game 4 performance, which cemented Indiana’s control of the series.

And most notably — I would’ve used this as a tiebreaker if I had a vote and was torn — who is responsible for the most important moment of the series? Haliburton made one of the most instantly memorable shots in the history of the sport, without which who knows what might’ve happened in Game 7?

Who are we targeting in free agency this offseason? Bruce Brown seems like an obvious choice to shore up the bench. But will we finally get a good backup for Nikola Jokic, like bringing in Mason Plumlee, Larry Nance Jr. or Precious Achiuwa?

— Mike, Denver

Hard to say while the general manager position remains vacant. But I recently assembled an exhaustive list of possibilities just for you, Mike. Check it out.

Will we ever see Carmelo Anthony’s number climb to the rafters? Obviously, Nikola Jokic is the greatest No. 15 in Denver history, but could they do something similar to what the Mariners are doing with Randy Johnson and Ichiro Suzuki?

— Shawn, Westminster

I had a feeling I would get this question from someone after seeing the arrangement in Seattle. My hunch: Anthony and the Nuggets have a lot of relationship-mending to do before they can ever reach that point. Time might be the only medicine. Will it someday be normalized for Anthony to visit Denver for games, like the other franchise greats do? Will fans’ nostalgia morph into forgiveness as the years go on? Maybe by the time Jokic’s number is retired, perspectives will have changed. I think it’s only right that they both end up in the rafters, even if one clearly belongs to a loftier tier of basketball players historically.

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The Denver National Women’s Soccer League team has finalized its ownership group, which includes investment firms, high-profile business executives and Colorado sports icons.

Rob Cohen, the CEO of IMA Financial Group, is the club’s controlling owner. In the months since Denver landed the NWSL’s 16th franchise for a record-setting $110 million expansion fee, several other names have been added to the group, most recently Colorado-based skiing star Mikaela Shiffrin and Broncos legend Peyton Manning.

The club on Thursday announced the final five members that round out its ownership group: Cordillera Investment Partners, The Soin Family, Brooke Woody, Randi Borgen and For Denver FC Capital Partners.

Cordillera adds another sports venture to its diverse portfolio of investments, which already included the Professional Triathlon League and a list of other projects ranging from apple orchards to wireless spectrum to environmental grants.

Raj and Vishal Soin both serve as executives with investment firms – Soin LLC and Varis Holdings, respectively.

Borgen, a Colorado native who was a three-sport letterman at Middlebury College, joins her siblings, Jon-Erik Borgen and Kaia Borgen Mortiz, who were already members of the ownership group through their investment company, FirstTracks Sports Ventures.

Woody already held a minority ownership stake with the NC Courage and is, along with her husband, John, “dedicated to investing in organizations that lift up women and build up communities,” according to a bio provided by Denver NWSL.

For Denver FC is a volunteer group that was founded in 2022 and was “instrumental” in the early stages of Denver’s bid for a women’s pro soccer team, according to the club. It should be noted that, while Denver FC is among the finalists for the team’s yet-to-be-announced permanent name, “For Denver FC” is a placeholder name for the volunteer organization, according to its website. “Once the team joins a league, community input will help guide the team’s eventual name and identity,” the site reads.

“It’s an honor to be joined by such an accomplished and passionate group of individuals,” Cohen said in a Thursday press release. “Each investor brings a unique perspective and deep commitment to supporting women’s sports. Together, we’re building something that will reflect the values and spirit of Colorado and have a lasting impact in our community.”

The other members of the ownership group who had been on board prior to Thursday’s announcement are:

• Rob Cohen, CEO of IMA Financial and a Denver-based business executive for more than 35 years
• Ariel Investments, a Chicago-based asset management firm whose co-CEO is Mellody Hobson, a Denver NWSL alternate governor and minority investor in the Denver Broncos
• FirstTracks Sports Ventures, a branch of Denver-based venture capital firm FirstTracks Ventures
• Neelima Joshi & Dhiren Jhaveri, Colorado residents and pioneering minority owners of NBA and WNBA franchises. Neelima has served on the board for several Colorado nonprofits, including her current position with Food Bank of the Rockies. Dhiren is the founder of the global financial services platform Kuvare.
• Molly Coors, who spent 14 years with the investment management firm AllianceBernstein and is married to David Coors, a fifth-generation member of the Coors family and an executive with the beverage giant
• Mikaela Shiffrin, the most accomplished alpine skier of all time who is now involved in several philanthropic efforts
• Peyton Manning, the NFL Hall of Famer and Super Bowl 50 champion with the Broncos

Read more on the ownership group at the Denver NWSL website.

The City of Denver is moving forward with plans to invest $70 million up front to build a 14,500-seat NWSL stadium at Santa Fe Yards, an investment the city and the club say is the largest ever in a women’s pro sports team. Last month, Denver7’s Brandon Richard dug into whether that cost will be worth it to taxpayers. Read his reporting here.

Denver NWSL has gained instant traction with the city’s prospective women’s soccer fanbase, selling 10,000 season ticket deposits at a league-record pace.

Denver hosts one of the largest Pride celebrations in the country. But this year sponsorships for Denver Pride are down significantly.

The Center on Colfax says the funding drop is due to rollbacks of diversity, equity and inclusion budgets caused by national legislation. The Center says these cuts are putting critical services for the LGBTQ+ community at risk.

Fran and Anna Simon were the first same-sex couple to be granted a civil union in Colorado in 2013 — and the first to legally marry in Denver in 2014. The Denver couple is spreading a message of hope as Coloradans mark Pride this month.

“To me, Pride is embracing who you are and accepting everyone and celebrating all the diversity that we have in our community, said Anna Simon, “Including sexual orientation, including gender identity, that all of that makes a richer place to live.”

Pride is one of the best times of the year, says Simon.

She and Fran Simon fought for years for legal recognition of their relationship, breathing a sigh of relief at the 2015 US Supreme Court ruling legalizing gay marriage. 

A dilemma now– and every June– is who to march alongside for the Pride parade given all their friends and interests.

“Maybe especially in difficult times like now, Pride is super important and yea, we need to celebrate and be as loud and joyful as we ever are,” Anna said.

Fran added, “Especially in this time with the corporate sponsors leaving, I think it’s more important that we be out there.”

One motivator, says the couple, is the young people for whom this will be the first time ever attending Pride.

“When I was first coming out, it was huge for me, I mean it’s life saving for people to be in an environment, even if just for part of one day where they feel like they can be completely who they are,” said Anna.

Fran Simon has lots of practice fighting misperceptions these days and trying to find connections to people with diverse views, saying, “I always try to find common ground, and that we have a lot more in common than we have differences. So and then we can talk about parenthood or whatever.”

Finding common ground, say the Simon’s, is especially important in 2025.

“I am optimistic that we’re going to have a huge turnout this year, people are needing community in a way that they may not always, and this is a great way to have community and be uplifted,” said Anna Simon.

CBS Colorado is excited to take part in Pride this year. The celebration takes place the weekend of June 28th and 29th. With a new parade step off this year at 17th and Franklin, due to the construction along Colfax of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT).