Complete 2018 NBA Free Agency primer for OKC Thunder and all 30 teams
Denver Nuggets:
Free Agents:
- Will Barton (UFA)
- Devin Harris (UFA)
- Richard Jefferson (UFA)
- Nikola Jokic (RFA – team option – see tweet below)
- Torrey Craig, (RFA – 2-way FA)
Sources: Franchise star Nikola Jokic expected to agree on five-year, $146.5M max deal with the Nuggets after team option is declined.https://t.co/cFn4v8yaEJ
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 25, 2018
Team Profile and Ranking:
Key Ranking Stats to end season:
- Offense: 6th (109.9)
- Defense: 27th (109.1)
- Net: 15th (plus +0.7 )
NBA Power Ranking at 2017-18 season end: 13th
ESPN Power Ranking post playoffs: 9th
Vegas odds to win 2018-19 title as of June 26: 100 to 1
Committed Salary: $107,475,362.00 as of June 30th
Average attendance: 17,141
Attendance rank: 20th
Arena: Pepsi Center
Management:
General Manager: Arturas Karnisovas – 2013
Head Coach: Michael Malone – 2015
Denver Nuggets forward Darrell Arthur has exercised his $7.4M player option for the 2018-19 season, league sources tell Yahoo.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 15, 2018
Salary Profile:
Wilson Chandler and Darrell Arthur opted in and the Nuggets are reportedly moving quickly to secure a five-year maximum extension for Nikola Jokic.
| Sala | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Age | 2018-19 | Signed Using | Guaranteed |
| Paul Millsap | 33 | $29,730,769 | Cap space | $61,000,000 |
| Mason Plumlee | 28 | $12,917,808 | Cap space | $41,000,000 |
| Kenneth Faried | 28 | $13,764,045 | 1st Round Pick | $26,685,393 |
| Wilson Chandler | 31 | $12,800,562 | $12,016,854 | |
| Darrell Arthur | 30 | $7,464,912 | Cap Space | $14,929,824 |
| Jamal Murray | 21 | $3,499,800 | 1st Round pick | $6,855,120 |
| Gary Harris | 23 | $16,517,857 | 1st Round Pick | $76,550,055 |
| Trey Lyles | 22 | $3,364,249 | 1st round pick | $5,805,649 |
| Juan Hernangomez | 22 | $2,166,360 | 1st Round pick | $4,243,200 |
| Malik Beasley | 21 | $1,773,840 | 1st Round pick | $3,474,480 |
| Tyler Lydon | 22 | $1,874,640 | 1st Round Pick | $3,454,080 |
| Nikola Jokic | 23 | $1,600,520 | $1,471,382 | |
| Team Totals | $107,475,362 | $272,586,618 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 6/26/2018.
Draft 2018:
Round 1:
With the 14th pick, the Nuggets selected Missouri forward Michael Porter Jr.
Rookie Profile: Michael Porter Jr. prospect profile: Backing up the bravado
Round 2:
With the 41st pick, the Nuggets (from Hornets via Magic, Grizzlies, Suns) selected Kentucky forward Jarred Vanderbilt
Rookie Profile:Jarred Vanderbilt – Built for OKC Thunder
With the 43rd pick, the Nuggets (from Clippers via Knicks) selected Maryland forward Justin Jackson
Rookie Profile: Justin Jackson wants out of the shadows
With the 58th pick, the Nuggets (from Warriors) selected UCLA center, Thomas Welsh
Free Agency – Offseason Mandate:
Denver has been on the precipice for the past few seasons and maintained one of the deepest squads throughout these years. Now they will be arriving at the moratorium locking up Jokic while simultaneously potentially losing some of that much-desired depth due to the numerous free agents. Ideally, the Nuggets would want to retain Will Barton (or at the very least should have gotten assets for him).
There's strong momentum with the Denver Nuggets and their free agent guard Will Barton to get a deal done quickly after the start of free agency at 12:01 AM, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 30, 2018
Still, the club brings back basically the same squad having gained another year of constancy and growth. The key will be improving defensively and seeing precisely who to keep for the future as several of the players will either be in final seasons or entering next summer in team option years.
The Nuggets are uncertain if Michael Porter Jr. will play at all during the ‘18-‘19 season, reports @MarcJSpearsESPN.
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) June 23, 2018
The big question is what the Nuggets will get out of Michael Porter Jr. Of all the draft picks made the MPJ pick was a swing worth making, especially at 14. If he comes even remotely close to returning to the player he was projected to be then this Nuggets starting five could be scary good. That said, there are rumblings his back isn’t right and won’t be, so we’ll have to wait and see if he plays at all and if he does how durable he is.
Presumably, the core is Jokic, Murray, Harris, and Millsap (MPJ?). Moving into free agency the decision needs to be made whether to trade Wilson Chandler and /or Kenneth Faried to get more defensive-minded assets or wait either til the trade deadline and gauge where the team is or next summer. Besides defense, the Nuggets still need to add depth at center and the point.