7:25pm: The Nuggets have officially waived Clark, per NBA.com’s transactions log.
9:54am: In addition to making a change to one of their two-way contract slots, the Nuggets are also tweaking their 15-man roster, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who reports (via Twitter) that Denver will waive forward Gary Clark.
The Nuggets acquired Clark in a deadline deal with Orlando last month, but he was essentially a throw-in, since the prize of that trade was Aaron Gordon.
Denver has a full 15-man roster, so dropping Clark will open up a spot, creating some flexibility for a potential depth addition down the stretch. While it’s not clear yet what the Nuggets might do with a spot, Mike Singer of The Denver Post suggested earlier today (via Twitter) that the team will remain on the lookout for backcourt depth even after signing Shaquille Harrison to a two-way deal.
Clark, who began his career with the Rockets in 2018, has since appeared in a total of 130 games Houston, Orlando, and Denver, averaging 3.3 PPG and 2.6 RPG in 14.6 MPG. He signed a two-year, $4.1MM contract with the Magic last fall, but the second-year salary of $2.1MM is non-guaranteed, so the Nuggets won’t be on the hook for any money beyond this season.
Assuming Clark and his $2MM cap hit go unclaimed on waivers, he’ll be eligible to sign with any club except the Magic. According to Wojnarowski, he’s expected to receive interest from some Eastern Conference playoff teams.
Smart player, plays hard, pretty decent defender, but struggled offensively this season. Could see him getting looks for teams needing defense at the 4, and a player that knows how to play, but there are still a couple of guys like that potentially out there
Could see a team like Detriot or the Raptors giving him a run