Community Shootaround: Denver’s Trade Chips
Despite a 22-28 record, the Nuggets find themselves within striking distance of a playoff spot in the Western Conference. Staked to a half-game lead in the eighth seed, Denver has outperformed expectations behind a breakout season from Nikola Jokic.
As Mark Kiszla pointed out in a Denver Post column, the Nuggets have a decision to make: pursue a No. 7 or 8 seed, or sell off their assets by the trade deadline? Wilson Chandler has been critical of his role (or occasional lack thereof) under coach Michael Malone, making him a logical trade candidate.
Malone firmly denied Emmanuel Mudiay‘s availability via trade, but several Nuggets remain viable trade chips; particularly Danilo Gallinari and Jusuf Nurkic. As of late January, Nurkic was rumored to be available in a package deal with veteran forward Kenneth Faried.
We know Nuggets GM Tim Connelly has a history of trade deadline activity; here’s what we want to know as February 23rd approaches…
Who would you like to see the Nuggets shop at the deadline? Would it be worthwhile for Connelly to keep his team intact while pursuing a playoff spot? Which team would be the most logical destination for Chandler?
Let us know in the comments section!
Warriors Cut Anderson Varejao, Sign Briante Weber
FEBRUARY 4th, 12:50pm: The Warriors have signed Weber to a 10-day contract, Anthony Slater of the San Jose Mercury News tweets.
FEBRUARY 3rd, 2:14pm: The Warriors have issued a press release officially confirming that they’ve waived Varejao.
Weber’s signing is not yet official, but he’s on track to join the Warriors after also receiving offers from the Heat and Hornets, tweets Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel.
1:46pm: The Warriors’ frontcourt has been plagued by injuries lately, but the team doesn’t seem to be worried about its depth up front, having decided to part ways with one of its healthy big men. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, Golden State is waiving Anderson Varejao, opening up a roster spot to sign Briante Weber to a 10-day contract.
Varejao, 34, re-signed with the Warriors last summer on a one-year, minimum-salary deal, but has played sparingly. The veteran center has averaged 1.3 PPG and 1.9 RPG in just 14 games (6.6 MPG) in 2016/17. Even with Draymond Green, David West, and Zaza Pachulia out of the lineup on Thursday, Varejao saw only eight minutes of action.
In addition to Green, West, and Pachulia, the Warriors are also carrying JaVale McGee, Damian Jones, Kevon Looney, and James Michael McAdoo at the four or five. As such, the team could afford to part with Varejao, particularly since the injury bug has spread to the backcourt — Shaun Livingston has missed the Warriors’ last two games with a back strain, so Weber will provide depth at guard.
Despite receiving a substantial guarantee ($328K) from the Heat, Weber didn’t make Miami’s regular season roster this past fall, and landed with the team’s D-League affiliate instead. Weber has made a strong case for a call-up, averaging 16.5 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 7.2 APG, and 3.0 SPG in 29 games for the Sioux Falls Skyforce. He was recently named the NBADL’s Player of the Month for January.
The Heat didn’t currently have the roster flexibility to bring Weber back, but were believed to be eyeing him for a potential call-up, as we heard yesterday. Miami is out of luck for now, though it remains to be seen if Weber will stick with the Warriors — Golden State could sign him to up to two 10-day deals, then lock him up for the rest of the season. However, with the trade deadline and buyout season approaching, the Dubs may want to use their 15th roster spot on someone else in the coming weeks.
As for Varejao, he’ll become an unrestricted free agent if he clears waivers on Sunday. Denver is one team that may have interest in adding the vet, per Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.net (Twitter link). The Nuggets would move closer to the salary floor by claiming Varejao and could save some money in the process, in the same way they did by acquiring Mo Williams.
Wilson Chandler, Michael Malone Discuss Trade Rumors
Wilson Chandler and Nuggets head coach Michael Malone addressed recent trade rumors, offering different takes on Chandler’s status in Denver.
“I laugh at that report, because Wilson Chandler is having a career year. So if a guy is not happy with his role when he’s having a career year, that doesn’t add up to me,” Malone said, per ESPN. “Obviously, there’s a lot of noise. Not just Wilson — different things this time of year for all NBA teams. The trade deadline is right around the corner. I think agents are behind a lot of that stuff, but Wilson has never said anything close to that.”
Chandler was hardly dismissive of trade rumors when speaking with Chris Dempsey of the Denver Post, however.
“I would definitely like to be in something more consistent. I wouldn’t say unhappy. It’s a tough situation. Our job is to play through rumors, and through whatever the situation is that may be tough. So I’m just focused on the task at hand, and whatever happens, happens,” Chandler said. “It’s not necessarily about starting. It’s just about being more consistent. If it’s 20 minutes, it’s 20 minutes and that’s cool. If it’s 35 minutes, if it’s 30 minutes; if it’s six shots, it’s 12 shots. If it’s this group, it’s that group.”
If these quotes are of any indication, Chandler and Malone appear to have conflicting views of the 29-year-old’s role on the Nuggets. While Chandler didn’t rule out staying in Denver, a report from Sam Amick of USA Today indicated his frustration without a defined role on the team.
While Malone issued a firm dismissal to rumors surrounding Emmanuel Mudiay (“Emmanuel’s a big part of our future”) he was unable to offer the same assurance to Chandler.
Nuggets’ Wilson Chandler Hoping For Trade
With this year’s trade deadline just three weeks away, Nuggets forward Wilson Chandler is hoping to be moved before the deadline, two sources with knowledge of the situation tell Sam Amick of USA Today. According to Amick, Chandler has grown frustrated with his inconsistent role in Denver.
Chandler, 29, is having perhaps his best year as a pro, averaging a career-high 15.4 PPG and 6.8 RPG in 44 games for the Nuggets. The former DePaul standout is also averaging slightly over 30 minutes per game on the season, but his playing time has been somewhat up and down, and he hasn’t been in Denver’s starting lineup since January 12.
Although Chandler is not believed to have formally requested a trade, the Nuggets are aware of his concerns and will explore the trade market for the veteran leading up to the February 23 deadline, says Amick. Denver has no shortage of potential trade candidates, with Danilo Gallinari, Kenneth Faried, Jameer Nelson, Will Barton, Jusuf Nurkic, and Emmanuel Mudiay among the players whose names have been mentioned at least once or twice in trade rumors this season. But finding a taker for Chandler looks to be a priority.
Owed a salary of $11.233MM this season, Chandler is under contract for two additional years, though 2018/19 is a player option. He’s on the books for a guaranteed $12MM+ salary in ’17/18. That price tag may have looked substantial when Chandler first signed his contract, but based on the spending spree we saw last summer, it seems reasonable for a player of his caliber.
Nuggets Quietly Gauging Market For Mudiay
- The Nuggets are “quietly exploring” what sort of return they could get for a package of Emmanuel Mudiay and multiple picks, sources tell Lowe. The ESPN analyst isn’t sure the Suns would be a logical trade partner for Denver though, since Phoenix will have the opportunity to draft a point guard in the summer. Lowe adds that Denver is in no rush to move Mudiay.
[SOURCE LINK]
Connelly Has History Of Deadline Deals; Nelson Teaching Murray
- History suggests that Nuggets GM Tim Connelly will be active at the trade deadline, Marks writes in the same piece. Since taking over in 2013, Connelly has been involved in five deadline deals, along with the trade of Timofey Mozgov to the Cavaliers in January of 2015. Marks also notes that Denver is $7.6MM below the cap floor and could be active on the waiver wire to try to reach that figure.
- Veteran point guard Jameer Nelson is teaching the position to Nuggets rookie Jamal Murray, writes Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post. “I don’t like to talk about too much of what’s going on in the locker room, but I just encourage him,” Nelson said. “I don’t know what it is to be his age [19] in the NBA. But I can just tell him or help him out with plays or certain situations. And he’s real receptive of it. He’s a great kid. That’s why I’m able to get through to him, because he’s such a great kid.”
Six NBA Teams Still Below Salary Floor For 2016/17
With the NBA’s 2017 trade deadline fast approaching, it’s worth taking a look at which teams around the league remain below the salary floor for the 2016/17 season. Each NBA club is required to spend at least 90% of the cap in each league year — if a team doesn’t meet that requirement, it will have to make up the difference at year’s end by paying it out to its players.
While teams will make up the shortfall at year’s end if they have to, it makes more sense to find a way to reach the floor in the coming weeks. It’s why multiple teams below the salary floor acquired – or re-acquired – Mo Williams earlier this month, as I explained last week. It’s also why some of these teams may get involve in deadline deals to take on unwanted salary in exchange for a future draft pick or another asset.
Last February, for instance, the Trail Blazers reached the salary floor after agreeing to take on Anderson Varejao‘s contract from Cleveland, giving the Cavaliers a significant trade exception and allowing the Cavs to substantially reduce their luxury tax bill. In return, Portland secured a first-round draft pick for 2018 that the team later turned into a first-round pick for 2017. So, in exchange for taking on a contract and paying some money that they would’ve been on the hook for anyway, the Blazers ended up with an extra first-round pick in a strong ’17 draft.
The teams listed below will likely be on the lookout for that sort of opportunity in the coming weeks, and some of them will also be active in taking a look at various players on 10-day contracts.
Here’s the full list of teams that remain below the salary floor ($84.729MM), along with their accompanying cap data:
Brooklyn Nets
Team salary: $76,507,540
Amount below salary floor: $8,221,460
Note: Quincy Acy‘s new two-year deal, which is expected to move the Nets about $1.7MM closer to the floor, is not yet included in this total.
Philadelphia 76ers
Team salary: $76,986,092
Amount below salary floor: $7,742,908
Denver Nuggets
Team salary: $77,117,054
Amount below salary floor: $7,611,946
Utah Jazz
Team salary: $80,498,192
Amount below salary floor: $4,230,808
Phoenix Suns
Team salary: $80,921,006
Amount below salary floor: $3,807,994
Minnesota Timberwolves
Team salary: $81,427,199
Amount below salary floor: $3,301,801
Jokic's Passing Ability Gives Malone Flexibility
- The unique ability of Nikola Jokic has given the Nuggets flexibility when it comes to generating lineups, writes Nick Kosmider of the Denver Post. His passing ability gives the team plenty of options when executing their offense. “Nikola is a guy we play all over the floor,” says head coach Michael Malone. “He’ll be in the low post. At times he’ll be in the high post and at the elbows. We’ll play through him anywhere.”
Shelvin Mack Latest PG Linked To Cavaliers
The Cavaliers are in the market for a point guard and Marc Stein of ESPN has explored two potential fits. Given Cleveland’s abundance of trade exceptions, the team could make a deal for a veteran point guard and absorb the player’s contract that way. With their Anderson Varejao trade exception, which expires on February 20, the club could deal for Jazz point guard Shelvin Mack.
In 42 games for the Jazz, Mack has averaged 7.9 points and 2.9 assists. He’s owed $2.4MM on a deal that will expire this offseason.
Another option at the point, one that has been discussed previously this week, is Nuggets guard Jameer Nelson. The 34-year-old is owed $4.5MM this season, which would necessitate the use of the $4.8MM trade exception the team procured in last month’s Kyle Korver trade.
Nelson has averaged 8.8 points and 4.6 assists per game in 45 tilts with Denver so far in 2016/17.
Early Prognosis On Jokic Encouraging
Nuggets center Nikola Jokic will undergo an MRI today to determine the damage caused to his left hip in a collision Thursday night, according to Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post. X-rays taken after the game were negative and the injury has been diagnosed as a hip strain. The Nuggets, who currently hold the eighth seed in the West with a 20-25 record, would have a hard time withstanding a prolonged absence by Jokic, who is averaging 15.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. “It’s good news for us,” teammate Will Barton said of the X-ray results. “He’s been playing out of this world for us, our best player. It would be tough to see him go down for a long time. I’m just happy he’s fine.”