Denver Nuggets Rumors | Hoops Rumors

QO Updates: Heat, Magic, Quinones, Lundy, Williams, Nuggets

June 28th, 2024 at 7:43pm CST by Luke Adams

The Heat have issued qualifying offers to two of their three two-way players, announcing in a press release that they’ve made forward Cole Swider and guard Alondes Williams restricted free agents. Miami’s other two-way player, forward Jamal Cain, isn’t mentioned in the announcement, with Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald tweeting that Cain isn’t expected to receive a qualifying offer.

Because Cain has finished each of the past two seasons on a two-way contract with the Heat, his qualifying offer would have been a one-year, minimum-salary contract with a small partial guarantee, whereas the QOs for Swider and Williams will be for one-year, two-way deals.

According to Chiang, the expectation is that Cain won’t be back with the Heat next season. Not getting a QO means he’ll be an unrestricted free agent this summer.

We have more qualifying offer news from around the NBA:

It appears that guard Trevelin Queen will be the only Magic two-way player to receive a qualifying offer this offseason. Orlando put out a press release (via Twitter) confirming that Queen has been given a QO, making him a restricted free agent. However, swingman Kevon Harris won’t get a QO and Admiral Schofield – who also wasn’t mentioned in the Magic’s announcement – has signed to play in France next season. Harris and Schofield both would’ve been eligible for minimum-salary qualifying offers, while Queen’s QO is for another two-way contract.
The Warriors aren’t tendering a qualifying offer to guard Lester Quinones, per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). Quinones will become an unrestricted free agent after averaging 4.4 points per game on .397/.364/.690 shooting in 37 appearances off the bench for Golden State.
The Hawks have made a qualifying offer to guard Seth Lundy, tweets Scotto. Lundy, who was on a two-way contract this past season, had a strong year in the G League, averaging 20.4 points per game and making 40.0% of his three-point attempts in 25 regular season and Showcase Cup contests for the College Park Skyhawks. His qualifying offer is the equivalent of another two-way deal.
The Rockets are issuing a two-way qualifying offer to shooting guard Jeenathan Williams, according to Scotto (Twitter link). Williams appeared in 22 games for Houston and 10 for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in the G League in 2023/24.
Nuggets two-way players Collin Gillespie and Braxton Key aren’t expected to get qualifying offers from the team, so they’ll become unrestricted free agents when the new league year begins, sources tell Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette (Twitter link).

Nuggets To Sign Gabe McGlothan To Exhibit 10 Deal

June 28th, 2024 at 5:27pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Undrafted Grand Canyon forward Gabe McGlothan is signing with the Nuggets on an Exhibit 10 contract, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania (Twitter link).

As Charania notes, McGlothan helped Grand Canyon to a victory in the NCAA Tournament this year and went on to win the collegiate slam dunk contest. McGlothan averaged 12.8 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 0.9 blocks per game in 2023/24 while shooting 47.7% from the field and 39.8% from beyond the arc.

McGlothan spent his freshman season at Southeast Missouri State in 2018/19 before transferring to Grand Canyon and spending the subsequent five seasons there (redshirted in ’19/20). In 156 collegiate appearances (111 starts), McGlothan averaged 10.0 points and 6.7 rebounds per contest.

After not owning a second round pick, the Nuggets have been proactive in adding undrafted talent to their roster. They reportedly agreed to two-way contracts with Creighton’s Trey Alexander and PJ Hall last night, as well as reportedly lining up Exhibit 10 deals with Auburn’s Jaylin Williams and Maryland’s Jahmir Young.

Free Agent Rumors: KCP, George, Thompson, Bridges, More

June 28th, 2024 at 6:58am CST by Luke Adams

Nuggets swingman Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who is declining his 2024/25 player option and becoming an unrestricted free agent, appears more likely than not to switch teams this offseason, Marc Stein writes at Substack, citing league sources.

Stein, who has previously mentioned the Sixers and Magic as potential suitors for Caldwell-Pope, once again names them as teams who are well-positioned to make runs at the 31-year-old if they so choose, noting that Denver has luxury tax and apron concerns to consider. The veteran wing is considered to be a “strong possibility” for Orlando, per Sam Amick and Anthony Slater of The Athletic.

According to Stein, the Mavericks are another potential suitor to watch for Caldwell-Pope, with league sources saying there’s mutual interest between the two sides. However, Dallas is operating over the cap and would need to make a sign-and-trade deal to make a competitive contract offer to Caldwell-Pope. There’s a sense that the Nuggets won’t have interest in accommodating a sign-and-trade with a conference rival, Stein writes, even if it means losing their starting shooting guard for nothing.

Here are a few more free agent rumors and notes from around the NBA:

Within a look at Paul George‘s potential free agency, Amick and Slater of The Athletic confirm that the Warriors‘ interest in the Clippers star is “legitimate” if he decides to go the opt-in-and-trade route instead of declining his 2024/25 player option. The Nuggets also recently had interest in George in that scenario, but don’t appear prepared to pursue a deal that would see them give up Michael Porter Jr. and “significant” draft capital, per The Athletic’s duo. For what it’s worth, Denver only has one tradable future first-round pick.
Despite a report from their colleague Shams Charania indicating that the Sixers‘ interest in pursuing George has “waned,” Amick and Slater cite a source who advises not to rule out Philadelphia entirely. The 76ers could offer George a maximum-salary deal using their cap room if he reaches the open market.
The Sixers also have interest in Klay Thompson, who continues to have little contact with the Warriors as he nears free agency, according to Amick and Slater, who add that the Nuggets also have Thompson on their list of potential replacements if they lose Caldwell-Pope. It’s hard to see how Denver, whose team salary is right at the luxury tax line, could make Thompson a strong offer unless more cost-cutting moves are made.
Discussing unrestricted free agent forward Miles Bridges, Hornets head of basketball operations Jeff Peterson confirmed reporting that has suggested the team wants to re-sign Bridges. “I’ve made it very clear to Miles that we want him to remain as a Hornet,” Peterson said (story via Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer).
Isaiah Hartenstein and Nic Claxton top John Hollinger’s list of free agent centers at The Athletic by a wide margin over the rest of the class, with Hollinger’s BORD$ formula favoring Hartenstein. Claxton already has a four-year deal lined up to remain in Brooklyn, making Hartenstein the clear top option on the open market.

Nuggets To Sign Auburn’s Jaylin Williams, Maryland’s Jahmir Young

June 27th, 2024 at 11:27pm CST by Luke Adams

The Nuggets have reached an agreement on an Exhibit 10 deal with Auburn forward Jaylin Williams, who went undrafted on Thursday, reports Bennett Durando of The Denver Post (Twitter link).

Not to be confused with the Jaylin Williams (or Jalen Williams) in Oklahoma City, this Jaylin Williams is a 6’8″ forward who has spent the past five years with the Tigers. He enjoyed his best college season in 2023/24, setting new career highs in PPG (12.4), FG% (.574), and 3PT% (.395) across 34 games (24.1 MPG).

Denver has also agreed to sign undrafted rookie free agent Jahmir Young to an Exhibit 10 contract, per Jon Chepkevich of DraftExpress.com (Twitter link).

Young has a decorated college résumé that includes a trio of All-Conference USA nods with Charlotte during his first three NCAA seasons and a pair of All-Big Ten berths during the past two seasons with Maryland. In 2023/24, the 6’2″ guard averaged 20.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 4.2 assists in 35.4 minutes per game across 32 starts, with a shooting line of .404/.324/.900.

The Nuggets have been busy since the second round of the draft ended on Thursday. Besides lining up Exhibit 10 deals for Williams and Young, they’ve also already reportedly reached two-way agreements with PJ Hall and Trey Alexander.

PJ Hall Signs Two-Way Deal With Nuggets

June 27th, 2024 at 5:57pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

July 10: Hall’s two-way contract with Denver is now official, according to NBA.com’s transactions log.

June 27: The Nuggets are signing center PJ Hall to a two-way contract, sources tell Harrison Wind of DNR Sports (Twitter link).

Hall had been considered a first round-level talent by the Nuggets, per Wind, but he ended up going undrafted.

During a four-season collegiate stint, Hall showed massive improvements from his freshman to senior seasons. In 2023/24, he averaged 18.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.4 blocks and 0.8 steals per night across 36 games, with a .488/.315/.779 shooting line. The scoring, rebounding, and blocks represented his NCAA career highs.

The 6’10” big man was twice named an All-ACC honoree while with the Tigers.

Denver finished with a 57-25 record and the No. 3 seed in 2023/24, but failed to defend its 2023 championship when it fell to the jumbo-sized, defense-first Timberwolves in a seven-game semifinal series. Taking a flier on size with an undrafted free agent is an intriguing tactical move.

Nuggets To Trade Reggie Jackson To Hornets

June 27th, 2024 at 4:43pm CST by Luke Adams

The Nuggets have agreed to trade veteran point guard Reggie Jackson to the Hornets, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link), who hears from a source that Charlotte will also receive three second-round picks in the deal.

The Nuggets will send out their own 2025, 2029, and 2030 second-round picks in the swap, reports Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). They’ll receive cash from the Hornets, tweets Matt Moore of Action Network.

The news comes just three days after Jackson picked up his $5.25MM player option with Denver for the 2024/25 season.

Jackson, who originally signed with Denver on the buyout market in February 2023, 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.

Despite that solid ’23/24 season, the Nuggets are essentially moving Jackson in a salary-dump deal, attaching future draft assets to move him and create some additional breathing room below the tax aprons.

According to Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link), Denver’s team salary is now right around the $171MM tax line and approximately $19MM below the second apron. If the club wants to remain below that second apron and re-sign veteran wing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who is declining his $15.4MM player option, additional cost-cutting moves would likely be required.

It’s unclear whether or not Jackson will be in the Hornets’ plans for 2024/25. The team is expected to operate under the cap this offseason, so it could use cap room to take on the guard’s expiring contract. The $8MM room exception can also be used to acquire players via trade now, as cap expert Yossi Gozlan tweets.

Jamal Murray Expected To Agree To Four-Year Max Extension

June 27th, 2024 at 2:54pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Nuggets and point guard Jamal Murray are making progress toward a four-year, $208.45MM maximum contract extension this offseason, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports (Twitter link). The Nuggets will present the offer to Murray and both sides expect an agreement.

Murray is entering the final season of a five-year, $182.8MM contract. He’s due to make $36MM in 2024/25

Under the terms of the extension, Murray would make approximately $46.53MM in 2025/26, $50.25MM in 2026/27, $53.97MM in 2027/28 and $57.7MM in 2028/29, according to cap expert Yossi Gozlan. He could’ve added a fifth year worth $61.4MM if he re-signed as a free agent in 2025, according to Gozlan, but Murray has apparently chosen to lock into the long-term security now (Twitter link).

These salary estimates are based on a $141MM cap in 2024/25, then a 10% increase in 2025/26.

Murray won a championship with the Nuggets in 2023 and is generally considered the best active player never to be selected as an All-Star. During the title run, Murray averaged 26.1 points, 5.7 rebounds and 7.1 assists in 20 games.

Injuries limited him to 59 regular-season games this past season, when he averaged 21.2 points, 4.1 rebounds and a career-best 6.5 assists. In Denver’s 12 postseason games, he averaged 20.6 points, 4.3 rebounds and 5.6 assists.

He’s a career 45.2% shooter, including 38% from beyond the 3-point line. A 2016 lottery pick, Murray is still just 27 years old.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope To Decline Option, Become Free Agent

June 27th, 2024 at 2:53pm CST by Luke Adams

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has decided to decline his $15.4MM player option with the Nuggets for the 2024/25 season, according to Shams Charania and Tony Jones of The Athletic, who report (via Twitter) that the veteran wing will become an unrestricted free agent.

The decision doesn’t necessarily mean Caldwell-Pope won’t return to Denver, but the Nuggets figure to face plenty of competition for the three-and-D specialist. Multiple teams with cap room are expected to pursue him, per Charania and Jones.

Caldwell-Pope, 31, played an important role on the Lakers team that won a title in 2020 and the Nuggets squad that won the 2023 championship. He has knocked down 40.3% of his three-point attempts over the last five seasons and is a strong perimeter defender.

While Denver would obviously like to bring back its starting shooting guard, a strong offer for Caldwell-Pope would likely push the team’s salary above the restrictive second tax apron. Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Nuggets general manager Calvin Booth expressed a desire to re-sign Caldwell-Pope but suggested that the team has contingency plans prepared – including potentially sliding Christian Braun into the starting five – in the event that KCP leaves.

“I think we have to look at everything, and the nature of free agency is, he’s unrestricted,” Booth said. “So we can try to bring him back, and if he doesn’t want to come back or opts to go somewhere else, that’s his prerogative. So we’ll have to work with that. But I think we’re prepared to plug and play, so to speak.”

The Sixers and Magic are among the cap-room teams who have been mentioned as possible suitors for Caldwell-Pope, the No. 11 free agent on our top-50 list.

Free Agent Rumors: KCP, Nuggets, DeRozan, Williams, Jones, Hartenstein

June 27th, 2024 at 8:21am CST by Luke Adams

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Nuggets general manager Calvin Booth made it clear that the team wants to retain potential free agent wing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, but is prepared for the possibility of losing him. Caldwell-Pope has until Saturday to decide whether or not he’ll pick up his 2024/25 player option.

“I think we have to look at everything, and the nature of free agency is, he’s unrestricted,” Booth said, per Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. “So we can try to bring him back, and if he doesn’t want to come back or opts to go somewhere else, that’s his prerogative. So we’ll have to work with that. But I think we’re prepared to plug and play, so to speak.”

As Durando notes, Booth identified third-year swingman Christian Braun as the top candidate to replace Caldwell-Pope in the starting lineup if necessary, citing Braun’s net rating in various lineups as a positive indicator for his ability to take on a larger role.

“I think when you look at some of the teams that have been good in the past, they have to find a way to replace fourth, fifth starters, sixth men off the bench and still keep rolling,” Booth said. “… I think if (Braun) has to step into the starting lineup, I think we’ll be OK, if KCP doesn’t return.”

Booth added that the Nuggets have interest in re-signing veteran free agents DeAndre Jordan and Justin Holiday, per Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette (Twitter link).

Here are a few more free agency rumors and notes from around the NBA:

There has been “growing buzz” that DeMar DeRozan won’t be back with the Bulls next season, whether he simply walks as a free agent or departs via sign-and-trade, writes K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. Within his latest Substack article, Marc Stein relays that his podcast partner Chris Haynes said extension talks between the Bulls and DeRozan have “gone cold,” increasing the likelihood that the veteran forward reaches the open market.
On the other hand, “all signs” point to the Bulls re-signing free agent forward Patrick Williams, says Johnson. Chicago was the first team to officially tender a qualifying offer to a free agent this summer, issuing Williams a QO on Monday to ensure he’ll be a restricted free agent.
There have been “league-wide rumblings” that the Magic have interest in point guard Tyus Jones, Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports writes within a breakdown of the draft’s first day. Jones will be an unrestricted free agent and is widely expected to command a salary above the mid-level; the Magic will have the cap room necessary to make him a competitive offer if they so choose.
Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein is another potential target to watch for Orlando. With Hartenstein nearing unrestricted free agency, Stein writes at his Substack that the Magic and Thunder continue to be named most frequently by rival executives as potential suitors for the big man.

Nuggets Acquire No. 22 Pick DaRon Holmes

June 26th, 2024 at 11:05pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

11:05pm: The trade is official, the Suns announced in a press release, confirming the terms outlined below. Phoenix used the No. 28 pick to select Virginia’s Ryan Dunn.

Speaking on Wednesday night to reporters, Nuggets general manager Calvin Booth said the team views Holmes as a four (rather than a five) going forward, adding that the team didn’t necessarily make a promise to draft him but certainly targeted him (Twitter links via Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette and Bennett Durando of The Denver Post).

“Once we got into the 20s and there was a chance to get him, we wanted to go get our guy, essentially,” Booth said.

The Knicks (initially at 24 and 25) and the Timberwolves (at 27) were considered teams that might be eyeing Holmes, compelling Denver to move up, according to Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports and Durando (Twitter links).

9:28pm: The Nuggets and Suns have agreed to a trade that will allow Denver to move up from No. 28 to No. 22 to select Dayton forward DaRon Holmes, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter links).

According to Charania, in addition to the 28th pick, Phoenix is receiving the No. 56 pick in this draft and two future second-round picks from Denver. Those future second-rounders are the Nuggets’ own picks in 2026 and 2031, per Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).

The 6’10” forward was a three-time All-A10 honoree and a consensus All-American selection during his tenure with Dayton. During his final collegiate season in 2023/24, he averaged 20.4 points on .544/.386/.713 shooting splits, plus 8.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 2.1 blocks and 0.9 steals per night.

Last week, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony indicated that teams had been operating as if Denver had promised to select Holmes in the draft. Some recent reports denied that any promise had been made, but it certainly appears now that the 2023 champions had their eye on Holmes.

With the deal, the Suns are able to replenish their war chest of second-round picks after having traded so many away in deals over the last few seasons. As Bobby Marks of ESPN notes (via Twitter), Phoenix has increased its tally of future second-round selections from just two to five, including the No. 56 pick this year.

The Nuggets, weighed down by a pricey starting five, are clearly looking to add win-now young role player talent to their bench. Last season, they lost sixth man extraordinaire Bruce Brown in free agency. This year, the team is at risk of losing starting shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who has a $15.4MM player option for the 2024/25 season and could likely fetch a raise in free agency.

Luke Adams contributed to this report.