It’s been a quiet offseason for the Denver Nuggets.
On June 23rd, the Nuggets traded out of the first round of the NBA Draft.
On June 24th, the Nuggets selected Trevon Brazile and Bryce Hopkins (only one of whom has had a contract confirmed) in the second round.
On June 30th, NBA Free Agency opened up, and the Nuggets watched Tim Hardaway Jr. sign with the Miami Heat.
On July 1st, a buuuunch of things happened around the NBA, while the Nuggets made a shrewd signing of Marvin Bagley III on a minimum contract.
The next day, the Nuggets re-signed Tyus Jones to a one-year minimum deal.
After a week of finding no trade partners, the Nuggets waived Jonas Valanciunas on July 8th. Valanciunas later signed an international deal in Lithuania.
On July 12th, the Nuggets tapped into the overseas market to sign Alpha Diallo to a minimum contract, paying below the minimum in salary because he’s a rookie.
To this point, nothing else has happened to affect the roster. Denver’s own free agents remain unsigned, headlined by a contentious restricted free agency negotiation with Peyton Watson. The Nuggets have also watched some other pretty solid and helpful players sign minimum contract deals like Matisse Thybulle, Ziaire Williams, Simone Fontecchio, and Mohamed Diawara.
Denver’s holding onto their three open roster spots for a reason. Assumably, Watson, Spencer Jones, and perhaps Bruce Brown fit into those spots in the near future. Denver could also be planning to sign Bryce Hopkins to a cheap full-time deal or leaving the final roster spot open anyway. There are financial complications no matter what, and the Nuggets are currently staving off teams trying to poach a valuable veteran like Cam Johnson away from them for cheap as a result.
But that move – trading Cam Johnson – is still very much on the table. The Nuggets are playing the waiting game right now, and at this moment with Watson’s status uncertain, they are unwilling to commit to a Johnson trade.
And it’s smart of Denver to wait patiently, because the moment Johnson is traded, Watson’s free agency price will rise. The Nuggets can’t afford to lose both Johnson and Watson at small forward and hope to form a championship caliber squad. They need at least one, but Denver’s negotiating leverage with Rich Paul and Klutch Sports disappears the moment Denver chooses Watson.
That’s why when the Watson situation is resolved, expect a residual move to occur, but not before. That could be a Johnson trade, but there’s no guarantee. There’s an argument that if the Nuggets do sign-and-trade Watson to another team that they could attempt to negotiate an extension with Johnson. That would be a logical step for a Nuggets squad trying to preserve as much bargaining power and talent as possible, and Johnson might be amenable if he isn’t looking over his shoulder the whole time.
Ultimately, Watson and Klutch are seeking a deal that pays them a higher annual salary per year than Christian Braun’s $25 million over the next five years. They might get it, but there’s no team in free agency that can sign Watson to an offer sheet to hold Denver’s feet to the fire. It’s in Watson’s best interest to wait as long as possible too, threatening to take the qualifying offer unless he’s signed to a significant deal. It’s in Denver’s best interest to wait until Watson’s willing to accept a lower dollar figure.
I don’t think we get a resolution to this standoff until September at the earliest.
Watson’s deal takes precedence in Denver’s salary cap calculations. Once they identify exactly what that number is going to be, it may give Denver more (or less) flexibility to retain Spencer Jones on a competitive salary.
Jones’ projected salary is still a question mark, but among forwards to sign in free agency, the following were for a range of $4 million to $8 million per season:
Josh Minott – $4.5 million Precious Achiuwa – $5.6 million Ousmane Dieng – $5.75 million Khris Middleton – $5.9 million Harrison Barnes – $8 million Kelly Oubre Jr. – $8.25 millionJones, based on these numbers, is worth about $6 million per year to me. Double what a minimum salary would be, but not quite to the level of stable veterans who have started consistently for a long time. The Nuggets should be able to find a way to make this work, because Zeke Nnaji makes $7.46 million in each of the next two seasons.
Let’s say the Nuggets sign Watson to a deal that pays him about $26 million annually but starts at $22.5 million in 2026-27. Let’s say they sign Jones to a deal that pays him $5.5 million in the first season. That adds up to $28 million in added salary on Denver’s books, meaning that Denver would be on the hook for roughly $238.5 million in salary plus the $2 million dead cap guarantee to Valanciunas.
That places Denver at roughly $24 million above the second apron and nearly $40 million over the luxury tax line with potential to go higher give Denver would be at 14 players. That translates to a roughly $230 million tax bill, which would be the largest in NBA history, before even signing a 15th player.
Like I said, if the Nuggets do bring back Peyton Watson (and Spencer Jones) then something’s going to give. It’s why teams continue to circle Denver like sharks. It’s why it’s impossible to pinpoint exactly who the Nuggets can be, because there are many variations of the same problem.
Early in the offseason, the Nuggets front office and ownership projected that they were willing to spend into the second apron and have rebuffed those attempts at Johnson. They’ve done everything they’re supposed to do by saying they’re willing to pay what it takes to build around Nikola Jokic and keep a championship level core together.
The issue is that teams around the NBA just don’t believe them. Every other team has leapfrogged out of the second apron (including the Oklahoma City Thunder by trading starting wing Lu Dort for second round picks) except for possibly the Nuggets and the Cavaliers. The Cavs went into the second apron last year and were the only team to do so. They probably will this season once they sign the James Harden contract, especially if they get to add LeBron James to the mix on a minimum deal.
If the Nuggets aren’t getting LeBron out of it, will they be able to justify the cost of keeping together their group? Is ownership willing to pay that cost for a team that was frankly embarrassed last year by an injured Minnesota Timberwolves squad? Usually, teams in that situation make significant alterations, but the Nuggets are once again breaking away from convention.
The facts are that most any team the Nuggets can build around a healthy Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and Aaron Gordon is going to be really, really good. The numbers back it up, and all the Nuggets need to go with it next year is better health when it counts. Gordon was seriously hampered this past April, and Watson didn’t play at all. The Nuggets can justify bringing that group back and hope for better health luck.
They weren’t perfect before the poor health luck though. They were flawed. The defense wasn’t great, and previous seasons have shown that Murray can be overwhelmed by heavy ball pressure and Jokic can have the occasional serious playoff blip. The Nuggets need to help those two. Maybe Watson is the right guy to do it, but he hasn’t done it at the level the Nuggets need in big moments ever before. It’s a leap of faith with him too.
All of this to say, the Nuggets are still stuck in gridlock. The plan is incomplete, and it will remain incomplete until Watson’s free agency situation is resolved. There will be residual moves after that, and then the Nuggets will have to look themselves in the mirror and ask whether the process was worth it.
We likely won’t know the answer until next spring.
Why the Denver Nuggets are stuck in Free Agency gridlock Mile High Sports.
Hence then, the article about why the denver nuggets are stuck in free agency gridlock was published today ( ) and is available on Mile High Sports ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Why the Denver Nuggets are stuck in Free Agency gridlock )
Also on site :
- Nets still have a Michael Porter Jr. call to make as he reaffirms his belief: ‘Building something special’
- Dave Portnoy goes scorched earth on USA Today columnist over controversial Caitlin Clark take: ‘Fire this lady’
- Brianna Turner alleges Fever ‘encouraged’ team to keep quiet after staffer got fired for sexual harassment