Nuggets GM Talks Harris, Faried, Expectations
A September report indicated that Gary Harris and the Nuggets have a good chance of reaching an agreement on a contract extension for the fourth-year shooting guard before the October 16 deadline. With 10 days left for the two sides to work something out, Nuggets GM Arturas Karnisovas confirmed that a potential deal with Harris is “in the works,” telling Gina Mizell of The Denver Post that he’s optimistic about getting something done.
“He’s been such a huge part of what we’re trying to do here, a representation of what we’re building here,” Karnisovas said of Harris. “Him going through trade rumors and still staying with us and being consistent and being a good leader for our guys and (knowing) how to do it, he was the ultimate professional. We’re trying to find ways to keep him here as long as we can.”
During his visit to The Denver Post’s newsroom, Karnisovas – who received a promotion to general manager during the offseason – also addressed a few other noteworthy topics, so let’s round up a few of the highlights from the Nuggets executive:
On Kenneth Faried‘s strongly-worded comments about wanting to be a starter:
“We welcome that. It’s a competitive spirit, and we want our training camp to be competitive. We didn’t want to just give guys playing time. We want them to earn it. That’s a good approach. Whoever earns minutes in the preseason is going to play.”
On the most challenging aspect of building a roster and dealing with constant player movement:
“Overall, it’s continuity and do not exaggerate your wins and don’t over-exaggerate your losses. Just kind of stay calm through all this process. I think we also have to figure out the healthy balance between young talent and meshing it with veteran players. Players like Paul [Millsap]. We chased [Dwyane] Wade before. We kind of need players in the locker room that have done it.
“Paul has been an All-Star four times and he’s been part of 60-win teams. It was important for us to find a formula that we can kind of use a vet. Last year, we were (one of the) top three youngest teams in the league. When we added Paul, we were very excited. Ultimate professional. Good teammate. Our young players gravitate toward that kind of good example, and they learn from it.”
On his goal for the Nuggets’ progress in 2017/18:
“Progress is a good word. We never like to put a number on wins. Playoffs is our target. Where, in terms of [seeding], we don’t know. But I think from previous years, we need to start well. The first 20 games are a huge emphasis for us, to be competitive and hopefully to stay .500 and over .500. Just be better than last year. We were close last year to making the playoffs, so this year should be a good year. I think we have a group of young players that got better, and we added Paul Millsap. Hopefully, we can stay healthy. That’s always a huge factor
NBA GMs: Millsap Signing One Of Summer's Most Underrated Moves
- The Nuggets‘ signing of Paul Millsap (24%) and the Pistons‘ trade for Avery Bradley (17%) were regarded by NBA GMs as the most underrated acquisitions of the summer.
[SOURCE LINK]
Paul Millsap Makes Strong First Impression
- Of all the Eastern All-Stars who changed teams this offseason, Paul Millsap was almost certainly discussed the least. However, he made a very strong impression during his preseason debut with the Nuggets this weekend. Gina Mizell of The Denver Post has the details.
Four Teams Without G League Affiliates For 2017/18
The NBA G League – known as the D-League before a sponsorship deal was struck with Gatorade – continues to expand as the 2017/18 season approaches. A record-high 26 NBA teams will have direct, one-to-one relationships with G League squads this season, with most NBA clubs owning and operating their own affiliates.
That leaves just four teams without affiliates for the 2017/18 season. That doesn’t mean those four clubs aren’t allowed to assign players to the G League — the flexible assignment rule allows teams without an affiliate to assign players to other G League teams. Still, those clubs are at a disadvantage in a handful of ways.
NBA teams that control their own affiliates have hand-picked coaches to help develop their young players, and can ensure that the same systems are taught in both the NBA and the G League. When a team without an affiliate assigns a player to the G League, that player could end up with a different squad each time and won’t have the same sort of support system. Last season, for instance, Pelicans rookie Cheick Diallo spent time with the Austin Spurs, Greensboro Swarm, and Long Island Nets on various assignments.
Additionally, teams without a G League squad won’t have the opportunity to designate affiliate players when the regular season begins. Those affiliate players aren’t technically under control of an NBA team, but they often stick with a club’s G League squad after spending the preseason with that club.
Here are the four NBA teams without a G League affiliate for the 2017/18 season:
Denver Nuggets
- Candidates for assignment: Malik Beasley spent some time in the G League last season and could do so again in 2017/18. 2017 first-rounder Tyler Lydon may also see some G League action, since Denver has a pretty deep roster and may not have room for him in the rotation.
- Two-way players: Torrey Craig, SF; Monte Morris, PG
- Timeline for affiliate: A report from October 2016 suggested the Nuggets were eying a possible G League affiliate for the 2017/18 season, but it didn’t happen. It’s clearly on the club’s radar, and I’d be surprised if Denver doesn’t have an affiliate in place within the next couple years.
New Orleans Pelicans
- Candidates for assignment: As noted above, Diallo was a regular in the G League last year. He’s still raw and could see assignments again this season. Rookie guard Frank Jackson may also see G League action if he doesn’t crack the backcourt rotation in New Orleans.
- Two-way players: Charles Cooke, SG; Jalen Jones, G/F
- Timeline for affiliate: The Pelicans have reportedly narrowed their search for a G League home to two cities: Shreveport, Louisiana and Pensacola, Florida. The plan is to get a G League franchise in place for the 2018/19 season.
Portland Trail Blazers
- Candidates for assignment: The Blazers added a pair of rookies in this year’s draft, snagging Zach Collins and Caleb Swanigan. Both guys have the potential to make an impact in year one, but could be sent to the G League if they don’t earn regular minutes out of the gate. Jake Layman is also a candidate to return to the G League this year.
- Two-way players: C.J. Wilcox, SG
- Timeline for affiliate: There have been no clear indications that the Blazers will have an affiliate ready to go for 2018/19. It’s hard to imagine the franchise will remain on the sidelines for too much longer though.
Washington Wizards
- Candidates for assignment: If players like Sheldon Mac, Carrick Felix, or Daniel Ochefu make the opening night roster, they’ll be candidates for G League stints. Otherwise, this is a roster heavy on veterans — Chris McCullough might be the only other viable option for an assignment.
- Two-way players: Devin Robinson, SF; Michael Young, F
- Timeline for affiliate: The Wizards intend to set up a very local affiliate in time for the 2018/19 season, according to a June report.
Malone Has Big Plans For Plumlee
Russell Westbrook‘s decision to sign an extension with the Thunder is making it easier for Paul George to decide whether to stay put when he becomes a free agent next summer, as he told ESPN’s Royce Young and other media members (Twitter link). George is impressed by the commitment between the reigning Most Valuable Player and the franchise, as Westbrook decided this week to sign a five-year, $205MM extension. George’s overt desire to leave the Pacers after this season, specifically for the Lakers, led Indiana to trade him to Oklahoma City. It appears George is now seriously interested in re-signing. “Not only in us pairing together but just knowing what type of dude Russ is and his values and his beliefs and him being committed to this organization says a lot,” George said. “And I’m one person that’s enjoying it here, so I think when that time comes the decision will be easier to make for myself.”
In other developments around the Northwest Division:
- Anthony Morrow has apparently taken an early lead in the fight for the Blazers’ 15th roster spot, Joe Freeman of The Oregonian reports. Morrow received a one-year, non-guaranteed contract prior to training camp and is battling Archie Goodwin and Isaiah Briscoe for a spot on the opening-night roster, Freeman continues. After four days of training camp, he’s already impressed coaches and teammates with his shooting, leadership and positive attitude, Freeman adds.
- Center Mason Plumlee will be Nikola Jokic‘s backup but he’ll have a big role with the Nuggets, coach Michael Malone told Gina Mizell of The Denver Post. Plumlee was re-signed by Denver to a three-year, $41MM deal this summer after being acquired from the Blazers in February. “He brings us a physicality and presence that, really, none of the other guys really have,” Malone said. “He is a lob threat on offense and he’s a rim protector on defense. On top of that, he’s a very skilled and capable playmaker.”
- Jazz guard Alec Burks believes he’s finally fully recovered from the broken leg he suffered in December 2015, according to Mike Sorensen of The Deseret News. Burks is looking for a bounce-back season, even though coach Quin Snyder isn’t sure what role Burks will have this season, Sorensen adds. “This summer I felt like I was before I got hurt on that December day two years ago,” Burks told Sorensen. “I felt more explosive, more like myself. As you could tell, last year I wasn’t myself athletically, I wasn’t at all.”
Nuggets Exercise 2018/19 Options On Five Players
The Nuggets entered the offseason with decisions to make on five team options for the 2018/19 season, and the team has elected to pick up all five of those options, according to RealGM’s log of official NBA transactions. Here are the details on the rookie-scale team options exercised this week by Denver:
- Emmanuel Mudiay (fourth year, $4,294,480)
- Jamal Murray (third year, $3,499,800)
- Trey Lyles (fourth year, $3,364,249)
- Juan Hernangomez (third year, $2,166,360)
- Malik Beasley (third year, $1,773,840)
The moves ensure that Mudiay, Murray, Lyles, Hernangomez, and Beasley are now locked up to guaranteed contracts through at least 2019. The numbers listed above reflect the cap hits on Denver’s books, and not necessarily the players’ exact salaries, since players on rookie contracts received pay bumps as a result of the new CBA.
Mudiay and Lyles will be eligible for rookie scale extensions during next year’s offseason, and then will be on track for restricted free agency in 2019 if the Nuggets don’t extend them in 2018. Murray, Hernangomez, and Beasley, meanwhile, will have fourth-year options for 2019/20 for Denver to decide on during next year’s offseason. If those options are picked up, the trio will be extension-eligible in 2019 and RFA-eligible in 2020.
With those five 2018/19 options exercised, the Nuggets now have approximately $73.4MM in guaranteed salaries on their cap for the ’18/19 season, per Basketball Insiders. That number isn’t exorbitant, but it could skyrocket before next July — it doesn’t include potential player options for Wilson Chandler ($12.8MM) or Darrell Arthur ($7.5MM) or possible extensions for Gary Harris or Will Barton.
That total for 2018/19 also doesn’t include Nikola Jokic. The Nuggets have an inexpensive team option on Jokic for next season, but may opt to turn it down and negotiate with him as a restricted free agent, rather than exercising it and having him reach unrestricted free agency a year later.
Nuggets, Gary Harris Expected To Reach Agreement On Extension
The Nuggets and Gary Harris are closing in on an extension, according to Matt Moore of CBS Sports (Twitter link). The deadline for the two sides to come to an agreement is October 16.
Harris has one season remaining on his rookie deal and if the two sides do not reach an agreement by mid-October, he’ll become one of the more coveted restricted free agents in the 2018 class. The Nuggets would have the ability to match any offer sheet the shooting guard signs and I’d speculate that the price tag on Harris will only go up if he has another year to showcase himself in Denver’s high-scoring offense before putting pen to paper.
Harris sported a career-high 16.5 player efficiency rating while knocking down 42.0% of his shots behind the arc in 2016/17. Various injuries prevented him from suiting up in 25 games last season, which is something that could hurt him in future negotiations. However, he’s steadily improved since being drafted with the No. 19 overall pick in 2014 and the potential for more improvement is easy to see.
GM Tim Connelly expressed his desire to keep Harris on the team when he addressed the media at the end of the 2016/17 campaign.“Gary’s going to be here for a long, long time,” Connelly said. “He’s a guy that kind of embodies everything that we’re trying to be, both as a player and as a person,”
Denver is also working on an extension with Will Barton, though Barton’s deadline for a deal isn’t until next summer since he isn’t on a rookie contract. Both Barton and Harris are expected to be major contributors for a team hoping to reach the postseason for the first time since the spring of 2013.
Nuggets, Will Barton Discussing Extension
The Nuggets and Will Barton have engaged in discussions on a contract extension, according to Chris Haynes of ESPN (Twitter link). Since Barton isn’t on a rookie scale deal, there’s no real rush for the two sides to finalize an agreement — the deadline for Barton to sign an extension is June 30, rather than October 16.
While it makes sense for the Nuggets and Barton to see if they can find common ground on a new deal, the talks represent a change in the swingman’s stance on the subject. Haynes reported back in April that Barton intended to turn down any extension offer from Denver, planning instead on reaching unrestricted free agency in 2018.
It’s possible that Barton is simply listening to the Nuggets out of courtesy, but it’s more likely that the evolving market for NBA free agents made him reconsider his position. League-wide spending wasn’t as extravagant this summer as it was in 2016, and there are expected to be even fewer teams with significant cap room in 2018, meaning Barton isn’t necessarily guaranteed a huge payday on the open market.
Because Barton is only earning about $3.53MM this season and the Nuggets are above the cap, the team is limited in what it can offer him. Still, the new Collective Bargaining Agreement allows a starting salary worth up to 120% of the estimated average salary, with 8% annual raises. That would result in an extension that looks a lot like the four-year, $42MM pact Josh Richardson signed with the Heat last week.
That would be a significant investment for the Nuggets, but Barton has shown in the past couple seasons that he can be a very effective part of the club’s rotation. In 2016/17, the 26-year-old averaged 13.7 PPG, 4.3 RPG, and 3.4 APG, with a shooting line of .443/.370/.753.
Kenneth Faried Uneasy With Backup Role
Kenneth Faried comes into Nuggets training camp as a backup and he’s not happy about it, as he told Matt Moore of Hardwood Paroxysm and CBSSports.com and other media members. Faried, who can play either power forward or center, strongly suggested that if he doesn’t play enough minutes, then he should be dealt. (Twitter links).
“If this team doesn’t want or respect me enough to play me the minutes, then I understand that. Maybe I go somewhere else,” he said.
Denver upgraded its frontcourt by signing Hawks free agent Paul Millsap to a three-year, $90.5MM contract. The Nuggets have Nikola Jokic, a finalist for Most Improved Player in the league last season, at center. Wilson Chandler is slotted a small forward.
Faried isn’t surprised by the Nuggets’ thinking, but refuses to view himself as a reserve.
“I’ll just put this out there. I. Am. A. Starter,” he said (Twitter link).
Faried was in and out of the lineup last season when he battled a back injury. He appeared in 61 games, 34 as a starter, while averaging a career-low 9.6 PPG and 7.6 RPG in 21.2 MPG. He came off the bench just 17 times during the first five seasons of his career. There were unspecified teams reportedly interested in Faried when Millsap announced he would join the Nuggets.
Faried, who is averaging 11.9 PPG and 8.5 RPG in his career, is signed through next season. He’ll make $12.9MM this season and $13.76MM next season.
Gary Harris is the team’s starting shooting guard but there will be an open competition at point guard, Moore adds (Twitter link).
Emmanuel Mudiay, the team’s 2015 lottery pick, has been erratic in his first two seasons. He’ll be challenged by second-year man Jamal Murray, with veteran Jameer Nelson presenting a fallback option.
Nuggets Considered Trying To Get Carmelo Anthony
Paul George has launched an electronic full-court press to try to convince Dwyane Wade to come to Oklahoma City, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today. Wade has become the hottest free agent on the market since agreeing to a buyout with the Bulls Sunday night. “I’m in his phone text, his DMs, Snapchat,” George said, “whatever it takes to get this dude here.”
Thunder GM Sam Presti is a little more reserved in his pursuit of Wade, but he would definitely like to have him as part of a Big Four with George, Russell Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony. OKC finalized its camp roster earlier today with the signing of Markel Brown, but a move would certainly be made to accommodate Wade. “He’ll go through the process and we’ll be in touch,” said Presti, who adds Wade may have already decided where he will sign next (Twitter link).
There’s more from the Northwest Division:
- The Cavaliers, Thunder and Heat were consider the early favorites to sign Wade, but the competition may be more intense than originally believed, according to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press (Twitter link), who adds that “many more teams” are pursuing him.
- Westbrook declined to give a direct answer to questions today about the five-year, $207MM extension the Thunder have offered him, posts Royce Young on ESPN Now. “Man, it’s been a long, long summer,” Westbrook responded. “Had a baby. Been working on a little fatherhood. But like I’ve said before, this is a place I want to be.” Westbrook has an October 16 deadline to accept the deal, and former Oklahoma City center Enes Kanter believes he is leaning toward taking it. “I feel like he’s going to sign (the extension)” Kanter told reporters today in New York (Twitter link).
- Jazz forward Derrick Favors has a chance to rebuild his reputation before heading into free agency next summer, relays the Associated Press. Favors says he has overcome the knee and back injuries that plagued him over the past two seasons and dropped 15 to 20 pounds during the summer. Utah needs to replace about 40 points per game with the loss of free agents Gordon Hayward and George Hill, and Favors is a prime candidate to increase his production. Favors will be an unrestricted free agent in July after making $12MM this season.
- Trail Blazers GM Neil Olshey isn’t concerned that his team is headed into a difficult Western Conference playoff race with one of the youngest rosters in the league, tweets Joe Freeman of The Oregonian. Recently signed free agent Anthony Morrow is Portland’s only player older than 30. “It’s a roster that still has some upside to it, because of its age,” Olshey said. “We’re expecting a lot of internal growth.”