Denver Nuggets Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Nuggets Sign Nikola Jokic To Five-Year Max Deal

July 9th, 2018 at 2:00pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 9: The Nuggets have officially signed Jokic to his new mega-deal, the team announced today in a press release.

“It’s not every day that you find a player with the incredible skillset to lead an NBA franchise that Nikola has, but also the character and personality to match that,” Nuggets vice chairman Josh Kroenke said in a statement. “Seeing Nikola grow on and off the basketball court is something in which our organization has taken immense pride, and we were determined to do whatever it took to keep Nikola in a Nuggets uniform for a very long time.”

JUNE 30: Jokic has agreed to a five-year, maximum-salary deal with the Nuggets, according to reports from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (Twitter links). A full max contract for Jokic projects to be worth $147,710,050.

Denver also reached an agreement to re-sign Barton.

JUNE 25: The Nuggets will decline Nikola Jokic‘s team option for 2018/19 in order to make him a restricted free agent, as we detailed on Sunday. Once Jokic officially reaches free agency, he and the team intend to finalize a five-year, maximum-salary contract, reports Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports.

Denver’s plans for Jokic come as no surprise, given the comments made by president of basketball operations Tim Connelly following last Thursday’s draft. At the time, he suggested the Nuggets would do all they could to make sure they locked up their star center for as many years as possible.

“Nikola’s going to be here for a long, long time,” Connelly said. “I think whatever we do, we’re going to ensure he’s here as long as possible. When that moment happens, we’re going to talk to Nikola and his brothers and his representation. He’ll be in Denver for a long, long time. He’ll be buying (a home) here.”

Had they simply exercised their 2018/19 option on Jokic, the Nuggets could have kept him under team control for a mere $1,600,520 next season. However, taking that route would have risked alienating Jokic and his representatives, and would have put him on track to unrestricted free agency in 2019, at which point he would have been free to join any other team. By declining that option, Denver ensures that it will have the right of first refusal, though the team will simply negotiate directly with Jokic’s camp rather than waiting for an offer sheet.

Jokic, 23, enjoyed the best season of his three-year career in 2017/18, setting new career highs in PPG (18.5), RPG (10.7), APG (6.1), and 3PT% (.396), among other categories. While the former second-round pick isn’t an elite defender, he’s one of the NBA’s best frontcourt play-makers, and will be paired up front with a strong defensive presence in Paul Millsap.

As for the exact value of Jokic’s contract, a five-year deal can be worth up to $146.45MM based on a $101MM cap projection. Such an agreement would start at $25.25MM, eventually increasing to $33.33MM by 2022/23. We outlined the exact year-by-year breakdown when we took an early look at maximum salary projections earlier this year.

Adding $25.25MM to the Nuggets’ salary commitments for 2018/19 will increase the team’s total guaranteed money to $131MM+ for 12 players. That figure doesn’t account for Will Barton, who will be an unrestricted free agent. If Denver wants to re-sign Barton, the club will likely make a strong push to shed another salary, with Kenneth Faried‘s and Darrell Arthur‘s expiring contracts serving as the most obvious trade pieces.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Nuggets Sign Will Barton To Four-Year Deal

July 9th, 2018 at 1:59pm CST by Austin Kent

JULY 9: The Nuggets have officially signed Barton to his new four-year contract, according to a press release from the team.

“Will Barton is a fearless competitor that never backs down,” president of basketball operations Tim Connelly said in a statement. “He has continuously pushed himself to be the best player and teammate he can be and gives it his all no matter what role he is asked to play. We are very excited to have gotten this deal done and to keep an important player like Will as a key part of our future.”

JUNE 30: The Nuggets will come to terms on a four-year deal with free agent swingman Will Barton, Chris Mannix of Yahoo Sports tweets. The news comes an hour before the official free agency period begins.

The four-year contract will be worth $54MM, Chris Haynes of ESPN tweets, with a player option in the final year. Per Zach Lowe of ESPN, the final year of the four-year deal will include a player option.

Barton, a 27-year-old shooting guard, is coming off a career year with the franchise. The prolific two guard averaged 15.7 points per game on the season but 17.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.4 assists in games that he started.

It was previously reported that Barton would be meeting with the Pacers later tonight but Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders writes that that meeting was never scheduled.

With Nikola Jokic‘s recently reported five-year extension factored in, the acquisition of Barton at over $12MM annually will put the Nuggets on pace to shatter the luxury tax line.

Of course club president of basketball operations Tim Connelly will have plenty of time to rectify that and, as we wrote earlier, will be looking to shed contracts in trades.

At the end of the day, while the deal could put the Nuggets over the tax if they can’t unload any of their unwanted contracts, they have $34MM set to expire next summer when Kenneth Faried, Wilson Chandler and Darrell Arthur all come off their books.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Nuggets Reportedly Made Offer To Tony Parker

July 7th, 2018 at 11:59am CST by Luke Adams

Tony Parker, who reached an agreement with the Hornets on Friday, tells Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated (Twitter link) that he received offers from the Spurs and Nuggets before deciding on Charlotte. I’d imagine those other offers didn’t come with the guarantee of as much money and/or as significant a role.

Nuggets Trade Wilson Chandler To Sixers

July 6th, 2018 at 3:46pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 6: The trade is now official, according to a press release from the Nuggets.

“We want to thank Wilson for seven years in Denver,” Nuggets president of basketball operations Tim Connelly said in a statement. “As good as a player as he is, he’s an even better person. He will be a great addition in Philly and we will certainly all be rooting for him.”

JULY 3: The Sixers and Nuggets have agreed to a deal that will send Wilson Chandler and draft considerations to Philadelphia, league sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link) first reported that the two teams were close to a deal involving Chandler.

It’s a swap that makes sense for both teams. The Sixers have cap room available to absorb Chandler’s $12.8MM salary for 2018/19, and the deal will net them a solid veteran forward who had a down year in 2017/18 but has averaged 13.3 PPG and 5.6 RPG with a .441/.351/.753 shooting line during his last five seasons in Denver.

Chandler is on an expiring contract, so he won’t impact the 76ers’ cap flexibility for 2019. Meanwhile, the team will also receive draft considerations in the deal. According to Jake Fischer of SI.com (Twitter link), Philadelphia will acquire the Nuggets’ 2021 second-round selection, as well as the ability to swap second-rounders with Denver in 2022.

As for the Nuggets, the only incoming asset they’ll receive from the Sixers in the trade itself is cash, per Fischer. However, shedding Chandler’s salary and using only a second-round pick to do it represents a big financial win for team ownership — with new deals for Nikola Jokic and Will Barton set to hit the books, Denver’s team salary was projected to be way over the tax line.

By moving Chandler, the Nuggets’ projected tax bill will drop by approximately $37MM, and the team will also avoid paying Chandler’s $12.8MM salary, creating nearly $50MM in total savings, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks. The Nuggets still could end up over the tax threshold, but has a much easier path to get below it now, if they so choose. Kenneth Faried ($13.76MM) and Darrell Arthur ($7.46MM) are still candidates to be traded or stretched.

The Nuggets will also create a trade exception worth Chandler’s salary ($12,800,562) in the deal. They’ll have a year to use it.

Although the move will eat up most of the Sixers’ remaining cap room and likely take them out of the market for major free agents, the team still has plenty of trade options. As Marks notes, Chandler could even theoretically be included in a trade package right away, since CBA rules don’t restrict a team immediately flipping a player if he was acquired using cap space. However, the 76ers like Chandler’s two-way ability and are planning to hang onto him, tweets TNT’s David Aldridge.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Michael Porter Jr. Signs Rookie Deal With Nuggets

July 3rd, 2018 at 4:49pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Nuggets have signed first-round pick Michael Porter Jr. to a rookie contract, the team announced on its website.

Porter was projected as high as No. 2 in the draft, but concerns about his the condition of his back caused him to plummet all the way to 14th. He suffered a back injury that required surgery in his first college game, then played limited minutes in a pair of SEC and NCAA tournament contests.

Porter will receive $2,411,800 as a rookie and $2,824,500 in his second season. As with all first-rounders, his contract will have two guaranteed seasons, followed by two team option years.

Nuggets A Suitor For Tony Parker?

July 3rd, 2018 at 8:39am CST by Luke Adams

A report from French outlet L’Equipe (hat tip to Amico Hoops) suggests that Tony Parker isn’t necessarily a lock to return to the Spurs, with the Nuggets and Hornets among the “five or six” teams that could make a play for the veteran point guard.

Nuggets To Aggressively Pursue Meeting With LeBron James

July 1st, 2018 at 2:46am CST by Luke Adams

While the LeBron James sweepstakes increasingly look like a two-team race between the Lakers and Cavaliers, a wild-card club is trying to force its way into the mix. According to Chris Mannix of Yahoo Sports, the Nuggets have been in contact with James’ agent Rich Paul and will aggressively pursue a meeting.

The idea of James choosing to join the Nuggets is a long shot, which the team itself recognizes, per Mannix (Twitter link). However, Denver’s “ultra-aggressive” front office wants an opportunity to sell the four-time MVP on the idea of playing with Nikola Jokic, Will Barton, and Jamal Murray, even if it’s just for one year.

Of course, the Nuggets’ lucrative new agreements with Jokic and Barton present another roadblock to the team’s pursuit of James — Denver currently projects to have a team salary well over the tax apron for 2018/19, which would make the club ineligible to acquire a player via a sign-and-trade. So even in the unlikely event that LeBron wants to play in Denver, the Nuggets would have to jump through several cap-related hoops to make it happen.

While James almost certainly won’t play for the Nuggets, the team continues to display a willingness to go after star free agents. Two summers ago, Denver made an aggressive play for Dwyane Wade before he ultimately chose to sign with his hometown Bulls.

Nuggets Looking To Trade Chandler, Arthur, Faried

June 30th, 2018 at 6:46pm CST by Arthur Hill

With a potentially huge luxury tax bill looming, the Nuggets are hoping to find someone willing to take on the contracts of Wilson Chandler, Darrell Arthur or Kenneth Faried, tweets Marc Stein of The New York Times. He adds that Denver isn’t finding many interested teams and may have to put center Mason Plumlee on the trade block too.

Chandler contributed to the cap crunch when he decided to opt in to the final year of his contract at $12.8MM for next season. Combined with a sizable new deal upcoming for Nikola Jokic and the apparent decision to re-sign free agent Will Barton, the Nuggets could have a team salary in excess of $140MM, well above the projected $123MM luxury tax threshold for 2018/19.

Denver can reduce that figure by unloading Faried, who will make nearly $13.8MM next season, or Arthur, whose salary is set at nearly $7.5MM. Both are on expiring contracts, as is Chandler. Plumlee has two years left on his current deal at $12.9MM and $14MM.

Pacers May Pursue Doug McDermott, Joe Harris

June 30th, 2018 at 6:31pm CST by Arthur Hill

With Will Barton expected to re-sign in Denver, the Pacers will turn their attention to Doug McDermott and Joe Harris, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

McDermott, 26, became a free agent on Wednesday when the Mavericks withdrew their qualifying offer. He split this season between New York and Dallas, playing 26 games for the Mavs after a February trade and averaging 9.0 points per night while shooting 49% from 3-point range.

Harris, also 26, is coming off his best NBA season. He averaged 10.8 points and shot 42% on 3-pointers in 78 games for the Nets.

Nuggets Likely To Re-Sign Will Barton

June 30th, 2018 at 6:09pm CST by Arthur Hill

Free agent Will Barton should have a new contract with the Nuggets shortly after free agency begins, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who cites “strong momentum” toward getting a deal done.

The 28-year-old guard is coming off his best NBA season, averaging career highs in points (15.7), rebounds (5.0) and assists (4.1). He appeared in 81 games, starting 40, and helped Denver stay in the playoff race until the final night of the season.

The Nuggets are set to take on a lot of money with Wilson Chandler opting into the final year of his contract and Nikola Jokic due for a significant raise. Even so, president of basketball operations Tim Connelly insisted that keeping Barton “was still a priority” for the organization.

All these moves could leave Denver with a team salary in excess of $140MM, which would result in a massive luxury tax bill.