Atlantic Notes: Booker, Okafor, Hornacek
The Nets signed unrestricted free agent Trevor Booker to a two-year, $18MM deal this offseason. In an interview with Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders, the forward noted it was his faith in GM Sean Marks that led him to take a chance on joining the rebuilding franchise. “Brooklyn was one of the teams pursuing me from the beginning and I knew Sean Marks because we had a short stint together in Washington when he was still playing,” Booker told the scribe. “I know what kind of a guy he is and what kind of an organization he came from with the Spurs, which is an A-1 organization. Coach [Kenny] Atkinson came from a great organization in Atlanta too. After doing a little research on him, I was comfortable with him and I was comfortable with the whole situation. I bought into what they are doing.”
When asked if he had any reservations about leaving the Jazz, Booker said, “It was definitely tough. I miss those guys already because I was very close with my teammates, the coaching staff and the front office. Everyone there was great. The fans were tremendous. I loved the city too. It was definitely tough. But at the same time, I saw an opportunity in Brooklyn for myself so I rolled with that opportunity.”
Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- Sixers center Jahlil Okafor, who is dealing with knee issues related to his surgery back in March, is getting closer to making his return to the court, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer relays. One issue that will likely keep the big man from seeing any game action in the near future is his lack of practice time during the preseason, Pompey adds. “What you saw on the floor [during pregame] is more than we’ve seen at practice in a while,” coach Brett Brown said. “People shouldn’t get nervous about that. It’s part of bringing him back into the mix. Our anticipation is he is not that far away.“
- New Knicks head coach Jeff Hornacek hasn’t been forced to run the triangle offense by team president Phil Jackson and is a bit surprised that it hasn’t been pushed by the front office, Al Iannazzone of Newsday writes. Hornacek acknowledged that it’s not a popular offense in today’s NBA, and says that he plans to blend “triangle aspects” with his faster-paced scheme, the scribe notes. “If it slows you down, I think that’s where most guys are probably coming from,” Hornacek said. “You end up being a slow-down team and never get easy buckets, and you’re running that half-court set all the time. First of all, guys don’t like to run it. Secondly, it makes it very difficult to get easy buckets early in the offense. And I think in today’s game, those early buckets are nice to get. So we’re not running it every time. We’re mixing it in here and there.“
Kings Intend To Keep Ben McLemore, Rudy Gay?
Despite numerous reports relaying that the Kings are shopping Ben McLemore and Rudy Gay, team executive Vlade Divac stated during an interview on Sirius XM NBA Radio that Sacramento intends to hang onto both players this season.
Regarding McLemore, Divac said, “You’re going to receive a lot of calls, you’re going to make a lot of calls. We’re very happy with Ben [McLemore], the way he’s progressing this summer. He’s a very young player that we like a lot, so we’re going to keep him.” The Kings reportedly turned down an offer from the Bucks last week that would have shipped McLemore to Milwaukee in exchange for point guard Michael Carter-Williams. At one point during the summer it appeared that the shooting guard was a lock to be dealt, but the coaching staff has reportedly connected with McLemore and believes that they can maximize his talents. The 23-year-old is eligible for restricted free agency at season’s end.
The situation with Gay is a bit more muddled, with the small forward announcing in September that he plans to opt out of his contract next summer. The veteran hasn’t sounded all that enthusiastic to still be a member of the Kings moving forward, but the franchise has no obvious replacement for him at the three spot and wouldn’t be guaranteed to receive one vie trade either. Regarding Gay, Divac said during his radio appearance, “Rudy is a tremendous talent, he’s somebody that’s beautiful to watch the way he plays. We think Rudy is a big part of this team to be successful, so we decide to go with him. If he decides to stay next year, that’s great. If he decides to leave, that’s fine. But we want to make sure we compete this year.” Gay is earning $13,333,333 this season.
Neither player has looked especially sharp in the preseason thus far. McLemore is averaging 8.5 points and 1.5 rebounds while shooting 34.8% from the field overall and 14.3% from three-point range. Gay has notched 5.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists to go along with a shooting line of .308/.333/1.000.
Submit Your Questions For Hoops Rumors Mailbag
We at Hoops Rumors love interacting with our readers. This is why we provide an opportunity for you to hit us up with your questions in our weekly mailbag feature, which is posted each Sunday.
Have a question regarding player movement, free agent rumors, the salary cap, the NBA draft, or the top storylines of the week? You can e-mail them here: hoopsrumorsmailbag@gmail.com. Feel free to send emails throughout the week, but please be mindful that we may receive a sizable number of questions and might not get to all of them.
If you missed out on any past mailbags and would like to catch up, you can view the full archives here.
Offseason In Review: Oklahoma City Thunder
Over the next several weeks, Hoops Rumors will be breaking down the 2016 offseason for all 30 NBA teams, revisiting the summer’s free agent signings, trades, draft picks, departures, and more. We’ll evaluate each team’s moves from the last several months and look ahead to what the 2016/17 season holds for all 30 franchises. Today, we’re focusing on the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Free agent signings:
- Ronnie Price: Two years, $5MM.
Draft-and-stash signings:
- Alex Abrines: Three years, $17.175MM.
- Semaj Christon: Three years, minimum salary. First year partially guaranteed. Second and third years non-guaranteed.
Camp invitees:
- Alex Caruso: One year, minimum salary ($50K guaranteed)
- Kaleb Tarczewski: One year, minimum salary ($75K guaranteed)
- Chris Wright: One year, minimum salary ($100K guaranteed)
Contract extensions:
- Russell Westbrook: Three years, $85.741MM. Third year player option. Extension gave him a raise to the maximum salary for 2016/17, added an extra guaranteed season to his contract, and pushed his player option back by one year.
Trades:
- Acquired the draft rights to Domantas Sabonis (No. 11 pick), Victor Oladipo, and Ersan Ilyasova from the Magic in exchange for Serge Ibaka.
- Acquired the draft rights to Daniel Hamilton (No. 56 pick) from the Nuggets in exchange for cash ($730K).
- Acquired Joffrey Lauvergne from the Nuggets in exchange for the Thunder’s 2017 second-round pick (protected 31-35) and the Grizzlies’ 2017 second-round pick (protected 31-35).
Draft picks:
- 1-11: Domantas Sabonis. Signed to rookie contract.
- 2-56: Daniel Hamilton. Has not signed.
Departing players:
Other offseason news:
- Kevin Durant departed in free agency to sign with the Warriors.
- Steven Adams, Victor Oladipo, and Andre Roberson eligible for contract extensions until October 31.
- Mitch McGary suspended five games for a failed drug test, then suspended an additional 10 games for non-compliance with the NBA’s drug policy.
- Cameron Payne suffered another foot fracture and is expected to be sidelined to open the regular season.
- Lost NBA rights to 2012 second-round pick Tomislav Zubcic.
Check out our salary cap snapshot for the Oklahoma City Thunder right here.
It is difficult to argue that any team in the NBA had a worse start to its offseason that the Thunder, who lost future Hall-of-Famer Kevin Durant to a conference rival via free agency. While KD’s defection to the Warriors is likely to sting for a number of years, things are not as bleak as they may seem for fans of the team. A number of moves by GM Sam Presti over the summer have made the team younger and set up the franchise for a solid future and interesting campaign ahead.
The biggest external move by the Thunder this offseason was made with the intent to make OKC’s roster more desirable for Durant to re-sign with the team. I’m referring to the draft day trade that shipped out power forward Serge Ibaka to Orlando in exchange for combo guard Victor Oladipo, big man Ersan Ilyasova and the draft rights to No. 11 overall pick Domantas Sabonis. Despite not having the desired effect of keeping Durant in the fold, the swap should pay strong dividends for the franchise.
In Oladipo, the Thunder may have finally found a long-term answer for who they will pair in the backcourt alongside superstar Russell Westbrook. Since the ill-advised trade of James Harden back in 2012, one which I believe cost the franchise an NBA title, the team has struggled to find a suitable partner for Westbrook. The 24-year-old Oladipo, whose three-and-D game appears to be a perfect fit with the Thunder’s roster, has the opportunity to blossom into a star with Oklahoma City. His solid perimeter defense will be a boon with the plethora of mad-bombers out West, and his outside shooting should take pressure off of Westbrook and the team’s up-and-coming big men.
I won’t pretend that Ibaka won’t be missed, but the team should be able to weather his loss in aggregate with the solid depth it has in the frontcourt. The addition of Ilyasova will help, though he’s not close to being the defender that Ibaka is/was. Ilyasova can provide an offensive spark from deep, with the 29-year-old owning a 37% mark from beyond the three-point arc for his career. He’s in the last year of his current deal, so his addition is a low-risk, high-reward prospect for the Thunder. The Turkish big man will likely open the season as the starter at the four spot for OKC. The other benefit of shipping out Ibaka, who is an unrestricted free agent at season’s end, is that it will make the task of retaining Oladipo and center Steven Adams, both of whom are headed for restricted free agency next summer, a much easier task.
Landing Sabonis in the trade is icing on the cake for Presti. The rookie out of Gonzaga is one of the more polished players in this year’s draft class and while he may not make a noticeable impact on the court this season, Sabonis is a solid building block for the franchise moving forward. The 20-year-old averaged 17.6 points, 11.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game while shooting 61.1% from the field, including a mark of 35.7% from three-point range during the 2015/16 campaign. He is also an excellent passer, a strong rebounder and looks to be a prototypical stretch-four in the NBA. His defense will need work before he is to log significant minutes, but he’s a smart player who should figure it out sooner rather than later.
The Thunder obviously have an enormous hole to fill at small forward, and while Kyle Singler or Andre Roberson, are certainly not the long-term answers, draft-and-stash signee Alex Abrines, who inked a three-year, $17.175MM pact this summer, just might be. The 2013 second-rounder is off to a solid start to the preseason, connecting on four of his five three-point attempts. If he can continue to provide a scoring punch from deep, the Spaniard could become a vital player for the team, who badly need to step up their outside shooting from a season ago. Like any young player, he’ll be a liability on defense, which is another reason why the addition of Oladipo, not to mention the continued development of Adams, is vital to any potential success OKC hopes to have in 2016/17.
The most important move that the Thunder made over the summer was in signing Westbrook to a contract extension. The point guard would have been able to opt out of his deal after the 2016/17 campaign, but he’ll now be in the fold for at least through 2017/18. After the departure of Durant, losing Westbrook would have been beyond devastating for the franchise and its fanbase. Not only does it signal Westbrook’s commitment to the team, it also removes the potential season-long distraction that always accompanies a superstar headed for free agency from the locker room. The 27-year-old should be at the top of the MVP candidate list now that Durant is elsewhere and he’ll likely play this season with an enormous chip on his shoulder as he attempts to demonstrate that he, and the franchise, don’t need Durant around in order to be successful. Western Conference guards had better watch out for Russell this season! Another benefit to extending Westbrook is that the team will have a clearer picture of what it has to work with next offseason, which will help shape the front office’s plans more definitively.
While it would be rash not to classify 2016/17 as a rebuilding/transition season for the franchise, Oklahoma City should be a dangerous team to play on most nights. Health will play a major factor in determining whether or not the Thunder make the playoffs. The loss of Cameron Payne for an extended period of time doesn’t help matters, but as long as Westbrook and Oladipo can remain out of street clothes during games and produce, the team should give its fans plenty to root for. It will take some time to get over the loss of Durant, not just for the fans, but for the franchise as a whole. While I don’t necessarily expect OKC to contend for an NBA title this season, the franchise’s offseason re-tooling has it headed in the right direction.
Salary information from Basketball Insiders used in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Brice Johnson Out Indefinitely With Back Injury
Clippers rookie Brice Johnson has suffered a herniated disc in his lower back and will be out of action for an indefinite amount of time as a result, Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com reports. The goal is for the forward to avoid surgery, and Johnson will be miss at least four-to-six weeks, Goodman notes. The injury occurred during L.A.’s preseason contest against the Raptors.
The loss of Johnson isn’t a major blow to the Clippers, seeing as Blake Griffin, Brandon Bass, DeAndre Jordan, and Marreese Speights are all ahead of him on the team’s frontcourt depth chart. However, it will certainly set the No. 25 overall pick’s development back in his rookie campaign.
Johnson appeared in the team’s first two preseason games, averaging just 1.0 point and 1.0 rebound in 5.6 minutes per outing. The 22-year-old was extremely solid in summer league play in Las Vegas this offseason, notching 15.4 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 31.1 minutes. His shooting line was .500/.000/.850.
Eastern Conference Salary Rankings: Point Guards
Hoops Rumors is in the process of ranking the salaries, separated by conference, for each NBA player by position. We’ve already looked at the point guards, shooting guards, small forwards, power forwards and centers of the Western Conference and will now turn our attention toward the East, beginning with the point guard spot.
All told, the teams in the east have committed a total of $276,502,813 in cap hits this season to the men who man the one spot. The average conference salary for point guards this season is currently $4,937,550, with Derrick Rose topping the list with $21,323,252 to account for on his year-end W-2 form.
It should be noted that teams won’t necessarily pay out every dollar listed here. There are quite a few players who have non-guaranteed or partially guaranteed contracts. Some of those players won’t make it out of the preseason, while others will be sweating it out until January 10th. That’s when teams must waive players with no specific guarantee date written into their contracts to avoid having to guarantee their salaries for the rest of the season. In addition, incentive clauses that a player either triggers or fails to meet can leave a player with more or less money than his cap hit reflects. Still, the purpose of this list is to show the relative pay scale by position, which is why all contracts are included in this post.
I should also add that not every player listed below will play the point this season, as some will likely see some time at shooting guard. To maintain uniformity, I used their positions listed on the teams’ official rosters to determine which list to include them on. So if you see a player who isn’t expected to play point guard for his team this season listed below, that’s why.
The Eastern Conference’s point guards are listed below, in descending order of salary:
- Derrick Rose [Knicks] —$21,323,252
- Kyrie Irving [Cavs] —$17,638,063
- John Wall [Wizards] —$16,957,900
- Goran Dragic [Heat] —$15,891,725
- Reggie Jackson [Pistons] — $14,956,522
- Rajon Rondo [Bulls] — $14,000,000
- Kyle Lowry [Raptors] —$12,000,000
- Kemba Walker [Hornets] — $12,000,000
- Jeremy Lin [Nets] — $11,483,254
- Matthew Dellavedova [Bucks] — $9,607,500
- Jerryd Bayless [Sixers] —$9,424,084
- Sergio Rodriguez [Sixers] —$8,000,000
- Jeff Teague [Pacers] — $8,000,000
- Cory Joseph [Raptors] —$7,315,000
- D.J. Augustin [Magic] —$7,250,000
- Rodney Stuckey [Pacers] — $7,000,000
- Isaiah Thomas [Celtics] —$6,587,132
- Ramon Sessions [Hornets]— $6,000,000
- Ish Smith [Pistons] — $6,000,000
- Deron Williams [Waived by Nets via stretch provision] — $5,474,787
- Brandon Jennings [Knicks] —$5,000,000
- C.J. Watson [Magic] —$5,000,000
- Greivis Vasquez [Nets] — $4,347,826
- Marcus Smart [Celtics] —$3,578,880
- Trey Burke [Wizards] —$3,386,598
- Michael Carter-Williams [Bucks] — $3,183,526
- Dennis Schröder [Hawks] — $2,708,582
- Aaron Brooks [Pacers] — $2,700,000
- Elfrid Payton [Magic] —$2,613,600
- Terry Rozier [Celtics] —$1,906,440
- Jerian Grant [Bulls]— $1,643,040
- Delon Wright [Raptors] —$1,577,280
- Jarrett Jack [Hawks] — $1,551,659
- Beno Udrih [Heat] — $1,551,659
- Demetrius Jackson [Celtics] — $1,450,000
- Toney Douglas [Cavs] — $1,315,448
- Joseph Young [Pacers] — $1,052,342
- Brian Roberts [Hornets] — $1,050,961
- Lorenzo Brown [Pistons] — $1,015,696
- Will Bynum [Hawks] — $1,015,696
- Isaiah Canaan [Bulls] — $1,015,696
- Ray McCallum [Pistons] — $1,015,696
- Spencer Dinwiddie [Bulls] — $980,431
- Jorge Gutierrez [Nets] — $980,431
- Julyan Stone [Pacers] — $980,431
- T.J. McConnell [Sixers] —$874,636
- Casper Ware [Wizards] — $874,636
- Briante Weber [Heat] —$874,636
- Andrew Andrews [Hornets] — $543,471
- Cat Barber [Sixers] — $543,471
- Kay Felder [Cavs] —$543,471
- Yogi Ferrell [Nets] — $543,471
- Trey Freeman [Pistons] — $543,471
- Chasson Randle [Knicks] —$543,471
- D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera [Bulls] — $543,471
- Fred VanVleet [Raptors] —$543,471
Atlantic Notes: Bennett, Lowry, Bradley
Anthony Bennett is hoping to salvage his NBA career with the Nets this season. In an interview with Oliver Maroney of Basketball Insiders, Bennett addressed his individual goals for the season, telling the scribe, “I just want to come in and become a part of the Nets family. My work ethic is something that I want to speak for itself. I want to show my ability to lead by example, a skill I got through playing with Team Canada. This year, one of my goals is to have fun with the game again. And I want to represent the city of Brooklyn and the Brooklyn Nets the best I can on and off the court.”
In response to a question about why he believed Brooklyn would be a good fit for him, Bennett told Maroney, “Our mix of youth and experience is something that makes us unique. We have good chemistry, everybody seems to be unselfish and is playing the game the right way. I just want to fit in the best I can with the team, starting with my defense and rebounding. My offensive game will be an extension of those things.”
Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony was reportedly never a fan of Jeremy Lin‘s when the two were teammates. When asked about Lin potentially becoming the face of the Nets franchise, ‘Melo may have taken a veiled shot at the point guard, Ian Begley of ESPN.com writes. “What do I think about it? … He is the face of that franchise, believe it or not. He came up, they paid him and now the ball is in his hands,” Anthony said. “So now he’s one of the franchise players over there. What do you want me to say about that? I’m happy for him, excited for him to see how it’s going to work out, turn out over there.” The wording in question is the “believe it or not” portion of the statement, Begley adds. It should be noted that during the same interview, Anthony said that he’d love to have Line back with the Knicks.
- Given the current economics around the NBA, it should come as no surprise that Kyle Lowry intends to opt out of his deal with the Raptors at season’s end, writes Doug Smith of The Toronto Star. The scribe also classifies the point guard as a “young 30-years-old,” given that he was a reserve for a large portion of his career.
- Avery Bradley has made his name in the NBA as a tenacious defender, but the Celtics guard wants to change the perception that he’s limited offensively, Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com relays. “I want people to see me as a two-way player,” said Bradley. “A defensive player and an offensive player. It’s fun, man. That’s what the game is supposed to be about: always wanting to get better, be the best you can be. I hold myself to that every single summer, every single year. I’m just trying to improve. I love the game of basketball so much. I have a lot of goals for myself. I want to make sure I compete every single day.“
Hoops Rumors Originals: 10/2/16-10/8/16
Here’s a look back at the original content and analysis generated by the Hoops Rumors staff this past week.
- As part of our Offseason In Review Series, we looked at the following teams:
- Will Joseph highlighted some of the better basketball blogs around in his weekly installment of Hoops Links.
- Luke Adams ran down all the players who have the ability to veto/block trades this season.
- Arthur Hill answered reader questions in our Weekly Mailbag. Here’s how you can submit your own questions for our mailbag feature.
- We ran down the salary rankings of the power forwards and small forwards of the Western Conference.
- We ran down all the free agents who have signed overseas this offseason.
- In our Community Shootarounds this week we discussed:
- Will Joel Embiid, Nerlens Noel, Jahlil Okafor and Ben Simmons ever play a game together as Sixers teammates?
- If the Pistons need to make a move to add point guard depth?
- Which recently retired player do you miss the most heading into the new season?
- Our Free Agent Tracker continues to have up-to-date data on this summer’s contract agreements and signings from around the NBA.
- We looked at which NBA teams made the most trades this offseason.
- You can stay up to date on any contract extensions agreed to this season with our tracker.
- If you haven’t already, be sure to download the Trade Rumors app for your iOS or Android device.
Week In Review: 10/2/16-10/8/16
With the preseason now in full swing, here’s a look back at all the notable news and events from around the NBA this past week:
Waivers
- The Hawks waived Richard Solomon.
- The Cavaliers waived Eric Moreland.
- The Pelicans waived Chris Copeland.
- The Bulls waived Vince Hunter.
- The Bucks waived Jabari Brown.
- The Grizzlies waived Tony Wroten.
- The Wizards waived Daniel Ochefu.
Signings/Agreements
NBA
- The Cavaliers signed Toney Douglas.
- The Hawks signed Josh Magette.
International
- Norris Cole signed with the Shandong Golden Stars of the Chinese Basketball Association.
- Jabari Brown signed with the Jilin Northeast Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association.
- Richard Solomon signed with Gravelines-Dunkerque in France.
- Greg Smith signed in Turkey with Istanbul BSB.
News/Rumors
- The NBA suspended Kings point guard Darren Collison for the first eight games of the regular season.
- The Timberwolves added Ed Pinckney to their coaching staff.
- Former NBA guard Salim Stoudamire has some interest in attempting an NBA comeback.
- The Jazz hired former NBA player DeSagana Diop as a coaching associate.
- Bulls rookie Denzel Valentine is expected to miss at least two weeks of action due to a left ankle sprain.
- Kyle Lowry plans to opt out of his deal after the season, though, he still hopes to re-sign with the Raptors.
- Nuggets shooting guard Gary Harris suffered a partially torn groin muscle and is expected to miss four to six weeks.
Offseason In Review: Denver Nuggets
Over the next several weeks, Hoops Rumors will be breaking down the 2016 offseason for all 30 NBA teams, revisiting the summer’s free agent signings, trades, draft picks, departures, and more. We’ll evaluate each team’s moves from the last several months and look ahead to what the 2016/17 season holds for all 30 franchises. Today, we’re focusing on the Denver Nuggets.
Free agent signings:
- Darrell Arthur: Three years, $23MM. Third year player option.
- Mike Miller: Two years, $7MM. Second year non-guaranteed.
Camp invitees:
- Robbie Hummel: Two years, minimum salary ($150K guaranteed)
- D.J. Kennedy: Three years, minimum salary ($50K guaranteed)
- Jarnell Stokes: Two years, minimum salary ($150K guaranteed)
- Nate Wolters: Three years, minimum salary ($50K guaranteed)
Trades:
- Acquired cash ($730K) from the Thunder in exchange for the draft rights to Daniel Hamilton (No. 56 pick).
- Acquired Thunder’s 2017 second-round pick (protected 31-35) and Grizzlies’ 2017 second-round pick (protected 31-35) from the Thunder in exchange for Joffrey Lauvergne.
Draft picks:
- 1-7: Jamal Murray. Signed to rookie contract.
- 1-15: Juan Hernangomez. Signed to rookie contract.
- 1-19: Malik Beasley. Signed to rookie contract.
- 2-53: Petr Cornelie. Will play overseas.
Departing players:
Other offseason news:
- Hired former NBA player Chuck Hayes as associate of basketball operations.
Check out our salary cap snapshot for the Denver Nuggets right here.
For the third straight season the Nuggets missed out on making it to the playoffs, notching just 33 wins. But despite returning virtually the same squad from 2015/16, Denver is a franchise on the rise. The team has loads of young, talented players on its roster, as well as a coach in Michael Malone who appears to be a perfect fit for the organization. The Nuggets still lack a true star to build around, but their solid depth at key positions should allow them to swing a major trade if the opportunity presents itself.
Denver’s offseason was almost entirely centered around the NBA draft, with the team owning three top-20 picks in the first round. While possessing multiple draft picks doesn’t ensure success, it certainly appears that GM Tim Connelly knocked it out of the park with his choices, snagging Jamal Murray (No. 7), Juan Hernangomez (No. 15) and Malik Beasley (No. 19).
Murray is the true gem of the Nuggets’ newcomers, though it remains to be seen just how and when he’ll get an opportunity to play with Denver’s overcrowded backcourt. With Emmanuel Mudiay entrenched at the point and Gary Harris and Will Barton both likely to see significant minutes at shooting guard, Murray will have to fight his way onto the court, at least in the early part of the season. Murray does have the ability to play both point guard and shooting guard, which will help his cause, but he’ll likely split time with Jameer Nelson as Mudiay’s backup at the point to start the campaign. The Kentucky product does bring with him an extremely valuable skill — the ability to attack and finish at the rim, which was an area of weakness in the Mile High City a year ago. Murray is also a solid outside shooter, nailing approximately 40% of his three-point attempts during his lone season in Kentucky. If he develops as expected, he’s the type of talent who will force the team to make a trade in order to free up more minutes for him.
Hernangomez was considered a steal at No. 15 overall by a number of draft experts. The Spaniard fits the mold of a prototypical stretch-four, but he’ll likely take longer to develop than Murray will. That may be a good thing for the Nuggets, given the logjam they have in the frontcourt. It’s with players like Hernangomez that the Nuggets’ lack of a D-League affiliate becomes glaring, as that avenue would be extremely valuable to a franchise with this many young players and lack of sufficient developmental minutes to go around. Beasley, the team’s No. 19 overall selection will also suffer from the lack of a D-League squad, since his path to playing time is likely the most difficult of the trio of 2016 draftees.
The Nuggets had an opportunity to free up some minutes for its younger players this offseason, with the team reportedly having been offered a first-round pick from multiple teams in exchange for Barton. The former second-round pick enjoyed a breakout season off the bench for Denver last season, averaging 14.4 PPG, 5.8 RPG, and 2.5 APG, and his contract represents one of the better bargains around — he’s set to earn just $3.533MM annually in each of the next two seasons. Barton has flourished since Denver acquired him from the Blazers during the 2014/15 campaign, but with a projected future backcourt of Mudiay and Murray, flipping him while his value is high may have been a wise move. While he remains an excellent asset in Denver’s coffers, he is potentially blocking the development of some of the team’s younger players. While another first-rounder in the 2016 draft wouldn’t have been appealing given the team’s already young roster, swapping him for a future pick or two may have been the better move for the long-term.
The team made just two moves on the free agent market, re-signing both Darrell Arthur and Mike Miller. Neither move is a game-changer for the franchise, with both players being more valuable for their experience and leadership than what they’ll provide on the court for the franchise. I like the return of Miller. He probably won’t see much action, but he should continue to serve as a solid mentor for the team’s young wings and can provide some solid outside shooting in small doses. The second year of Miller’s deal is non-guaranteed, so it’s a low risk signing that could provide numerous intangible benefits to the young club.
I’m not as bullish on retaining Arthur, given the team’s depth in the frontcourt. It may turn out to be a prudent move given the health issues both Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler have dealt with over the past few seasons. Kenneth Faried also only appeared in 67 contests last season. Still, locking the 28-year-old for three more seasons doesn’t thrill me given the team’s wealth of players and likelihood of having multiple first-rounders in the 2017 draft. The Nuggets will more than likely receive Memphis’ first round pick in 2017, which is top-five protected. Given its solid backcourt and pivot positional depth, it makes sense that Denver will look to add younger forwards in the near future.
Denver’s greatest need moving forward is to add a star player to the mix as well as to find the right spots for their current crop of players. While the team is extremely versatile, there are far too many players that don’t have an obvious and set position in the rotation. The team should focus this season on trying to swing a big trade by consolidating its depth and landing an All-Star caliber player. The trio of Faried, Chandler and Gallinari all have value around the league, and given their injury histories, Denver would be wise to gauge their trade worth and see what Connelly can do with them. A package of one or two of the trio, plus Barton and future draft picks should make for a solid starting point in negotiating with other teams at the February trade deadline.
The Nuggets are likely a season away from being a playoff team as it currently stands. Allowing for internal development alone, the franchise should be able to make some noise in the Western Conference in the near future. But superior depth will only take you so far, which is why it is vital for the team to do everything it can to add a star player to the mix. Come the postseason, it is the stars who help teams advance past the first round. But whatever direction the team eventually chooses to go with its roster, things are starting to come together in Denver and fans will have something to cheer about sooner rather than later.
Salary information from Basketball Insiders used in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.