Nuggets point guard Reggie Jackson is picking up his player option for 2024/25, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). The decision will ensure that Jackson receives a guaranteed salary of $5.25MM next season before reaching unrestricted free agency in 2025.
Jackson originally signed with Denver on the buyout market in February 2023 after he was traded from the Clippers to the Hornets and was waived by Charlotte. He struggled down the stretch during the Nuggets’ championship season, making just 38.3% of his field goal attempts (27.9% of his three-pointers) in 16 regular season games before falling out of the rotation for the playoffs.
However, the Nuggets opted not only to retain him for the 2023/24 season but to give him a raise, signing him to a two-year, $10.25MM contract using their taxpayer mid-level exception. The 34-year-old responded with a strong bounce-back season, averaging 10.2 points, 3.8 assists, and 1.9 rebounds in 22.2 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .431/.359/.806.
Jackson was one of just two Nuggets players to appear in all 82 games this past season. He also made 23 starts when Jamal Murray was forced to the sidelines for health reasons.
While Jackson’s option decision will guarantee his 2024/25 salary, it doesn’t necessarily guarantee that he’ll spend next season in Denver. It’s possible the Nuggets will end up using his expiring contract as a trade chip, though if he returns, Jackson should see once again see rotation minutes as Murray’s backup
With Jackson’s $5.25MM salary on the books, the Nuggets are now up over $172MM in guaranteed salaries for 11 players. That figure doesn’t include the cap hold for Denver’s first-round pick ($2.5MM) or a new contract for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who has a decision of his own to make on a $15.4MM player option. If KCP exercises that option or signs an even more lucrative contract with the Nuggets, their salary will exceed the second tax apron ($189.5MM), limiting the team’s ability to make additional roster moves.