Denver Nuggets Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Nuggets Exercise 2020/21 Option On Michael Porter Jr.

October 7th, 2019 at 5:15pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Nuggets have picked up the their rookie scale option on forward Michael Porter Jr.‘s contract for the 2020-21 season, Sam Amick of The Athletic tweets.

Porter is due to earn $3.55MM next season after making $3.39MM during the upcoming season.

The decision comes as no surprise, given the patience Denver’s front office has exhibited with Porter, who did not play last season. The No. 14 overall pick in the 2018 draft spent his first pro season recovering and rehabbing from back surgery.

Denver has high hopes that Porter can make a significant contribution this season. However, it remains to be seen how much of an impact he’ll deliver, considering how long it has been since he’s played.

He did not participate in summer league games in July after suffering a left knee sprain. He’s expected to make his preseason debut against Portland on Tuesday.

Nuggets Release Elijah Millsap, Jorge Gutierrez

October 7th, 2019 at 4:33pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Nuggets have trimmed their training camp roster by releasing Elijah Millsap and Jorge Gutierrez, Nick Kosmider of The Athletic tweets. That reduces their roster to 18 players.

Millsap, the younger brother of Paul Millsap, was added to the training camp roster on Friday. The veteran shooting guard went undrafted out of UAB in 2010 and has spent much of his career in the G League or overseas. He did appear in a total of 69 NBA regular season games between 2014-17 for the Jazz and Suns, averaging 4.2 PPG and 2.8 RPG in limited action (16.2 MPG).

Gutierrez signed a training camp contract less than a week ago. The 30-year-old guard was last seen in the NBA during the 2015-16 with Charlotte. He’s also played for the Nets and Bucks.

Gutierrez has played in Turkey and Spain since his last NBA stint.

Barton Frustrated By Nagging Hamstring Injury

October 7th, 2019 at 12:57pm CST by Luke Adams

After being limited to 43 games in 2018/19 due to injuries, Nuggets swingman Will Barton has been slowed in camp due to a nagging hamstring ailment, which he admits has been frustrating, per Mike Singer of The Denver Post.

“Definitely a little deflating, coming off an injury-plagued season last year,” said Barton, who is entering the second season of his four-year, $53MM contract with the Nuggets. “The good thing is I feel good when I’m out there, I’m real confident, I’m not really holding back very much. Doing the things I like to do. Got a good rhythm, so not too depressed, but it is a little deflating because I don’t want to hold back, I want to be able to practice fully and play fully and do everything.”

The Nuggets have indicated that the starting small forward position is up for grabs, with Torrey Craig, Juan Hernangomez, and Michael Porter among the players vying for the role. Barton would seemingly be the favorite if and when he’s healthy, but his hamstring may put him behind the eight-ball in that competition to start the season.

Jerami Grant Will Get Minutes At 'Five'

October 4th, 2019 at 9:57pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Jerami Grant is expected to start the season as the Nuggets’ backup power forward but he’ll also see time at center, Mike Singer of the Denver Post reports. Grant was traded by the Thunder to Denver for a first-round pick.

“I think Jerami Grant can play (center),” Nuggets head coach Michael Malone said. “Jerami’s ability to screen and roll, finish around the basket, catch passes in traffic and make plays from that, he’s really, really good in that regard.”

A small-ball lineup with Grant at center would cut into Mason Plumlee’s minutes in the Nuggets’ frontcourt, Singer notes.

Malik Beasley Declined Three-Year, $30MM Extension Offer

October 4th, 2019 at 3:21pm CST by Luke Adams

Before his recent agent change, shooting guard Malik Beasley turned down a three-year, $30MM contract extension offer from the Nuggets, sources tell Bobby Marks of ESPN.com (Insider link). Beasley, who is entering the final year of his rookie scale contract, is eligible to sign a new deal up until October 21.

After playing limited minutes in his first two NBA seasons, Beasley emerged as one of the Nuggets’ most effective bench players in 2018/19, averaging 11.3 PPG on .474/.402/.848 shooting in 81 games (23.2 MPG). The former Florida State standout is still just 22 years old, so it’s possible he’ll take another step forward this season, which would line up for a nice payday in restricted free agency in 2020.

Pointing to Beasley’s up-and-down performance in the playoffs, Marks suggests that a three-year, $30MM contract – which is approximately equivalent to a mid-level deal – is a fair price. However, with Rich Paul and Klutch Sports now representing him, the former first-round pick figures to be seeking a more lucrative offer.

The four-year, $53MM contract signed in 2018 by Nuggets swingman Will Barton could be a relevant point of reference in negotiations, as Marks observes. Beasley outplayed Barton last season, and if he does so again in 2019/20, he’d have a strong case to top his teammate’s deal.

With Paul Millsap, Mason Plumlee, and a handful of other players on expiring contracts this season, the Nuggets currently only have about $93MM in guaranteed money on their cap for 2020/21, so they can afford to lock up Beasley if the two sides find common ground.

Nuggets To Sign Elijah Millsap To Camp Deal

October 4th, 2019 at 11:13am CST by Luke Adams

The Nuggets will fill their 20-man offseason roster by keeping it in the family, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who reports (via Twitter) that the team is signing veteran shooting guard Elijah Millsap to a training camp deal. His brother Paul Millsap is already a Nugget.

Elijah, who went undrafted out of UAB in 2010, has spent much of his career in the G League or overseas, but has some NBA experience too. He appeared in a total of 69 regular season games between 2014-17 for the Jazz and Suns, averaging 4.2 PPG and 2.8 RPG in limited action (16.2 MPG).

The younger Millsap has no clear path to a regular season roster spot in Denver, since the team is carrying 14 players with guaranteed salaries and two on two-way contracts. The Nuggets could technically retain a 15th player on a standard contract, but that’s probably unlikely, given the club’s close proximity to the luxury tax threshold.

Denver will have a full 20-man roster once Millsap is officially signed, with PJ Dozier, Tyler Zeller, and Jorge Gutierrez also attending camp on non-guaranteed deals. The Nuggets have no G League team of their own, so those players won’t get the chance to become NBAGL affiliate players for Denver once the season begins.

Northwest Notes: Conley, Teague, Roberson

October 3rd, 2019 at 7:24pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Mike Conley is one of the biggest acquisitions in the history of the Jazz and the team is excited to have him around, as Matt John of Basketball Insiders writes. “Watching him play, being around him, seeing how he interacts,” head coach Quin Synder said. “When I say elite, that manifests itself in a lot of different ways.”

Here’s more from around the Northwest Division:

After a disappointing year in Minnesota, Jeff Teague is ready for a new campaign, as Chris Hine of The Star Tribune writes. Teague missed 40 games with injuries last season for the Timberwolves and the point guard told Hine that he had never endured a season like that before.
Andre Roberson hasn’t played in nearly two years after rupturing his patellar tendon, but the wing is back on the court for Thunder, as Erik Horne of The Oklahoman passes along. Roberson has been cleared to practice without restrictions.
The Nuggets have a battle on their hands for the starting small forward position, Mike Singer of The Denver Post relays. “By no means is there a leader in the clubhouse,” head coach Mike Malone said of the competition. Torrey Craig, Juan Hernangomez, Will Barton, and Michael Porter Jr. are among the options at the three.

Jerami Grant Not Upset About Trade To Nuggets

October 2nd, 2019 at 5:00pm CST by Luke Adams

New Nuggets forward Jerami Grant, who said at Media Day that he’s not worried about what his exact role will be for his new team, acknowledged that he wasn’t too broken up about being traded by the retooling Thunder, according to Kyle Fredrickson of The Denver Post. “I don’t think (the trade) was too difficult,” Grant said. “It was almost good to get out of a sinking ship.”

Malone; We're The Hunted

October 1st, 2019 at 8:37pm CST by Dana Gauruder

After reaching the Western Conference Semifinals last season, the Nuggets find themselves in an unfamiliar role as the hunted, coach Michael Malone told website writer Eric Spyropoulos. “Because of the season that we had, we have to know that we’re going to be a team that’s hunted, unlike being the hunter last season,” Malone said. “We can’t just relax. Things can change quickly in the NBA, so we can’t just show up and think we’ll go from point A to B.”

Wizards Notes: Beal, Thomas, Thorn, Tanking

October 1st, 2019 at 12:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

Bradley Beal has an important financial decision to make, but the Wizards star insists that money won’t be the deciding factor, writes Fred Katz of The Athletic. The front office gave Beal a $111MM extension offer more than two months ago. He hasn’t signed it and hasn’t made a decision on whether he wants to remain in Washington long term. At Media Day, he told reporters that the chance to be on a contender will matter more than the size of the deal.

“I can really retire today and be OK. … So, I want everybody to understand, it’s not the money,” Beal said. “It’s not the money factor here. It’s me. It’s, OK, what’s the direction the team’s going in? Are we gonna win? Is this what we want? We know that this is probably gonna be a development year. It’s gonna be one of those types of years. So, does Bradley Beal wanna be a part of that ultimately? And that’s something I have to ask myself and something I’m probably still not done asking myself. So, I’m gonna use all my time until I can.”

October 21 is the deadline for Beal to accept the current deal, but turning it down won’t signal the end of his time with the Wizards. He will be eligible for a longer, more lucrative deal as a free agent in 2021, and an All-NBA nod would qualify him for a super-max contract that could reach up to $250MM over five years.

There’s more from D.C. on the first day of camp:

A lot of contenders would like to find a way to add Beal this season, notes John Hollinger of The Athletic. The former Grizzlies executive writes that swapping newly signed D’Angelo Russell for Beal is a “dream scenario” for the Warriors. He mentions the Lakers, Raptors, Nuggets and Celtics as teams that would also be interested if Beal becomes available.
Isaiah Thomas is trying to laugh off his latest injury, a torn ligament in his left thumb that will force him to miss the entire preseason, according to Candace Buckner of The Washington Post. It’s the latest in a series of physical mishaps for Thomas since his last All-Star appearance in 2016/17. “I was in there laughing because I’m like: ‘Damn. It’s always something,’” Thomas said. “But at the end of the day, this won’t break me. I’ve been through way worse.”
Rod Thorn, who has more than 40 years of experience as an NBA executive, will serve as a senior advisor to GM Tommy Sheppard, Buckner tweets.
With John Wall possibly out for the entire season and a roster filled with young players, the Wizards are in a perfect position to tank, observes Sean Deveney of Heavy. “Keeping (Wall) out, trying to see if you can find a diamond in the rough by playing a bunch of non-guaranteed (contract) guys, that’s the way they have to go,” a rival executive said. “It’s tanking, but you can’t blame them.”