Paul Millsap will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason, but Nuggets president of basketball operations Tim Connelly has expressed a desire to retain the big man, along with a hope that he’ll spend the rest of his career in Denver, writes Mike Singer of The Denver Post.
“I would love to see Paul retire in a Nuggets jersey,” Connelly said on Wednesday. “What he brought to this team and this city has been pretty special. … I don’t think we could’ve asked for anything more in terms of where we are. He taught us so much about winning and how to get to this point.”
Millsap, who signed a three-year deal worth more than $90MM with the Nuggets back in 2017, has been a reliable presence in the frontcourt alongside star center Nikola Jokic. In 159 games (26.9 MPG) over those three seasons, he averaged 12.8 PPG, 6.6 RPG, and 2.1 APG to go along with a .478/.381/.740 shooting line and his usual strong play on defense.
According to Singer, Millsap has yet to make any decisions regarding his free agency. The 35-year-old is still processing his 83-day stint in the Orlando bubble and plans to take his time as he considers his next move.
Singer suggests that this isn’t the first time Millsap has heard the refrain about the Nuggets wanting him to retire with the team, and that may be a factor in his decision. However, there will also be financial matters to consider.
The Nuggets hold Millsap’s Bird rights and can offer him any amount up to the max, but fellow free agent forward Jerami Grant will likely be the team’s first priority. If and when Grant signs a new deal, Denver’s maneuverability below the tax line will be a factor as the team mulls a potential offer for Millsap and other roster moves.
Singer notes that any offer from the Nuggets would reflect the fact that the Millsap wasn’t as effective in the playoffs as he was early in the season. While he played a part in helping Denver reach the Western Conference Finals, the big man’s production was down in the postseason (8.0 PPG, 4.7 RPG, .398 FG%).
I would like to see him in Boston coming off the bench to provide some veteran leadership but I am sure his salary demands wont allow us to fit him into our cap figures
He will go to highest bidder.. that’s his mindset.. every team he has left was due to going for the biggest check. Guess he forgot his skills aren’t what they used to be and won’t be making 20-30 million per season any more
The Nuggets exercised him option before this year, agreeing to give him 30mil… so I’m fairly certain NBA executives are better at assessing a players worth than you are… Guess you forgot you don’t work in the league.
Stats year before option picked up. 12.6 pts and 7 rebounds .. yep that equates to a 30million dollar per year player .. unfortunately they have to overpay to keep players because nobody wants to play in Denver
Just because they paid him that doesn’t mean he was worth $ 30 large. Maybe you can not talk down to people too.
Say what dawg?, I didn’t talk down to anybody.. I responded to a commenter that responded to my post about him going with the highest bidder
When an NBA team picks up a players 30mil option, they’re the ones saying he is worth 30mil. So all of our novice opinions go out the window. A NBA team literally gave him 30mil one year ago, so to say he’s crazy to think he’s worth something close to that is illogical. Also, if you’re viewing stats as your end all be all justification for paying a player; you’re going to have a pretty bad team on your hands.
I thought the exact same thing. But it all depends on how much.
According to hoopsrumor.com
Tax MLE is 3 years 18.0 million
Standard MLE is 4-years 39.8 million
I think Torey Craig is worth more than 18.0 tax MLE.
He is clearly going back to Denver for a lot less…all that writing was already on the wall last season when Denver took his $30m Team Option.
Denver (and everyone else) is certainly going to offer him less, and idk what Denver’s tax situation is, he could keep providing a consistent presence for a young team, while also chasing rings.
If he doesn’t care about rings or a pleasant transition from role to bench to retirement, he could just as well sign for the Hawks or Knicks this offseason.
I’m hoping he resigns with Denver.
Millsap and a couple other guys to the Warriors. He’s made plenty of money in his career and invested wisely. Time to get hooked up with dot Com business and get a ring or two.
He is worth the vets min at this point in his career!
He should pursue a title…