Nuggets Rumors

Nuggets Notes: Murray, Jokic, Gordon, Saric, Watson

October 20th, 2024 at 4:50pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

If they have any hope of winning their second title in three seasons, the 2o24/25 Nuggets need star point guard Jamal Murray to be the best version of himself, opines Troy Renck of The Denver Post.

Even though Murray has battled injuries in recent years and submitted an underwhelming performance for Team Canada in the 2024 Olympics, Denver moved forward on a four-year, maximum-salary contract extension with him during the offseason.

Murray was highly effective in his 59 healthy games last season, averaging 21.2 points, 6.5 assists, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.0 steal per contest.

With Murray, three-time MVP center Nikola Jokic, and forward Michael Porter Jr. all signed to maximum deals — and power forward Aaron Gordon likely in line for a raise on a potential extension — the Nuggets may be locked into their current core for a while.

There’s more out of Denver:

Far beyond the purview of the Nuggets’ fanbase in Denver, Nikola Jokic‘s greatness has reached international superstar levels, writes Bennett Durando of The Denver Nuggets. The 6’11” big man’s superstardom was on display during a pair of recent preseason games in Abu Dhabi, when he was very much the star of the show.
New veteran Nuggets big man signing Dario Saric is already impressing teammate Aaron Gordon, per DNVR Sports (YouTube video link).“So excited to play with Dario,” Gordon said. “He’s a hell of a talent, so versatile. [He] does multiple things on the floor — can pass the ball, can shoot the ball, can score, can defend, can play big, can play small… I don’t think you guys understand how big of an impact that he will have on this team, playing that backup center, playing that backup four.”
Still dealing with a hamstring strain, intriguing young Nuggets reserve swingman Peyton Watson was able to fully partake in team practice Sunday for the first time in five weeks, reports Durando in another article. “We’ll see how that injury and how that muscle reacts to what he did today,” head coach Michael Malone said following the practice. “Because tomorrow, the hope is to introduce some more things offensively. … I want to blow it out tomorrow. We’ll be on the main court, which will be nice to finally get on the main court and play, maybe, three or four 12-minute quarters. And the hope is that Peyton feels good enough to be able to get through at least some of those (quarters) tomorrow.”

Northwest Notes: Bates-Diop, Banton, Clingan, Murray, Westbrook

October 19th, 2024 at 5:51pm CST by Luke Adams

As our roster count page shows, the Timberwolves are the only one of the NBA’s 30 teams whose roster is not ready for the regular season after a busy day of transactions. Minnesota is still carrying 16 players on standard contracts, whereas the other 29 clubs have 15 or fewer players on standard deals.

The Wolves don’t need to finalize their opening night roster until Monday evening, but an absence at practice on Saturday provided a pretty strong hint about which direction they’re leaning, according to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, who tweets that forward Keita Bates-Diop wasn’t in attendance and appears to be the odd man out.

Nothing’s official yet, but Bates-Diop was a throw-in for salary-matching purposes in the Karl-Anthony Towns blockbuster, so it makes sense that he’s not in Minnesota’s plans. Removing him from the roster would allow the club to hang onto PJ Dozier, whose salary is partially guaranteed.

Still, since Bates-Diop’s $2,654,644 salary for 2024/25 is fully guaranteed, the Wolves are likely reluctant to simply waive him and eat that money, especially given how far over the luxury tax line they are. They may continue trying up until Monday’s deadline to find a taker for Bates-Diop on the trade market — they’d probably have to attach a second-round pick to make a deal.

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

Trail Blazers guard Dalano Banton is expected to make the team’s opening night roster, tweets Sean Highkin of the Rose Garden Report. Barring a last-minute surprise, Banton will see his partial guarantee increase from $217,533 to $1,098,485 as a result of starting the season with the team. The other half of his $2,196,970 salary would become guaranteed if he remains under contract beyond January 7.
Trail Blazers lottery pick Donovan Clingan had a big night in his first start of the preseason on Friday, Highkin writes for his Rose Garden Report Substack. The rookie center, who isn’t expected to play big minutes in a crowded Blazers frontcourt, racked up 14 points, four blocks, and an eye-popping 20 rebounds (10 offensive) in just 24 minutes of action, with Portland outscoring Utah by 30 points during that time. Head coach Chauncey Billups said Clingan is still adjusting to the speed of the NBA game, but praised the big man’s rebounding and rim protection. “Those two things, he’ll be pretty elite at,” Billups said. “He’ll only get better.”
Jamal Murray‘s performance in Thursday’s preseason finale likely calmed some nerves in Denver, writes Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. After dealing with some knee pain and shooting just 32% from the floor through three preseason appearances, the Nuggets guard poured in 25 points in 29 minutes in Thursday’s victory, showing that he’s ready for the regular season after a tough 2024 postseason and Olympic Games.
In a column for The Denver Post, Sean Keeler examines what Denver is hoping to get this season from free agent addition Russell Westbrook, suggesting that the former MVP can be an important “agitator” for the Nuggets and help them play with more of an edge.

Extension Rumors: Durant, Kuminga, Moody, Sengun, Green, Gordon

October 18th, 2024 at 6:02pm CST by Luke Adams

Suns forward Kevin Durant won’t sign a contract extension before the regular season begins, Shams Charania said during an appearance on Friday’s episode of NBA Today on ESPN (YouTube link).

As we outlined on Thursday, Durant – who has two years left on his current maximum-salary deal – is eligible until October 21 to sign a one-year extension worth up to $59.5MM. If he doesn’t sign that extension by Monday, his next opportunity to extend his contract will come during the 2025 offseason.

Durant downplayed the likelihood of completing a deal this fall, but has expressed “publicly and privately how much he loves Phoenix,” according to Charania, who suggests that both the former MVP and the team are focused on getting something done next offseason, when Durant could add two new years to his current contract for a total of $123.8MM.

The Over-38 rule prohibits Durant from signing any deal that would keep him under contract for four or more total years going forward.

Here are a few more of the latest updates on players who are eligible for contract extensions:

The Warriors and Jonathan Kuminga remain “far apart” in their extension negotiations, according to Charania, who said during that same NBA Today segment that there’s a sense Kuminga may enter the season without a new deal in place, putting him on track for restricted free agency in 2025. Charania adds that the Warriors forward is comfortable with the idea of betting on himself in 2024/25 and trying to earn a maximum-salary contract – or something close to it – next summer. Moses Moody appears “much more likely” than Kuminga to sign an extension with Golden State before Monday’s deadline, per Charania.
The Rockets have had “productive” conversations with both Alperen Sengun and Jalen Green and have made extension offers that would provide them with long-term financial security, according to Charania. However, Charania notes that those offers are below the max, so Sengun and Green will have to decide whether they’re willing to accept those deals or if they want to push for bigger paydays by opting for restricted free agency.
The Nuggets and forward Aaron Gordon are in “active conversations” about an extension, per Charania. Gordon is eligible to sign for up to $143.3MM on a four-year deal that would begin in 2025/26, though ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said on the Hoop Collective podcast (YouTube link) that Denver is hoping to get him to accept a little less than that. “They haven’t handed out that (max) offer,” Windhorst said (hat tip to RealGM). “Otherwise he would have signed it. From what I understand, they are negotiating and they’re hopeful of getting him at less than what would be his quote, unquote max.”
In an Insider-only story for ESPN.com, Bobby Marks examines some of this year’s top extension candidates and shares the offers he’d put on the table for several of them, including $148MM for Jalen Johnson, $128MM for Josh Giddey, and a whopping $165MM for Jalen Suggs (all five-year deals).

Nuggets Notes: Malone, Shooting Guards, Nnaji

October 17th, 2024 at 7:13pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The Nuggets now sit at 0-4 in the preseason, and head coach Michael Malone recently questioned the conditioning of his team, Bennett Durando of The Denver Post writes.

“I don’t think we’re in great condition right now, and that’s one thing we talked about as coaches during the game,” Malone said after Sunday’s loss to the Suns. “Looked like some guys are just winded and a little tired out there. So that’s something that we can try to improve upon.”

In that game against the Suns, Phoenix made 23 three-pointers and the Nuggets struggled to guard the Suns’ players one-on-one. Malone was critical and blunt in his assessment of what Denver needs to do with just a week left until the team’s regular season tips off.

“I think some [conditioning] you can do [during games],” Malone said. “Like [Sunday], I ran those guys the whole third quarter. And obviously, Jamal [Murray] didn’t play in the second half. But [I] played that starting unit the whole third quarter and tried to push their envelope a little bit. And that was probably a little bit hard on some of those guys. Then in practice, I think we can get up and down more. I think so often as coaches in modern-day NBA, the league’s gotten so soft [that] everybody’s afraid to condition and run. We have to.”

Durando writes that the Nuggets are trying to step out of their comfort zone this season by playing more in transition, which the starting lineup isn’t as accustomed to. Malone acknowledged as much on Sunday.

“Obviously if you’re playing at a pace that maybe you’re not accustomed to, it could definitely challenge your system,” Malone said. “But you know, we’ve talked about trying to be a better running team this year. … It can’t be just Russell Westbrook off the bench. It’s gotta be everybody.”

We have more from the Nuggets:

Malone raised eyebrows again on Tuesday during the media session that followed a 30-point preseason loss to the Thunder. The Nuggets lost Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to free agency this year, marking the second straight year in which they’ve lost a key contributor from their 2023 title run (Bruce Brown and Jeff Green left in free agency last summer). With those losses, the Nuggets tried relying on younger players to fill the gaps and help get them back to the Finals in 2023/24, but they were defeated in the second round of the playoffs by the Timberwolves. When asked if there was a sense of wanting revenge for last season, Malone said “I haven’t seen it,” according to Brendan Vogt of DNVR Sports (Twitter link).
While Julian Strawther has been one of the most impressive Nuggets players in the preseason, it’ll be an uphill battle for him to beat out Christian Braun for the starting shooting guard spot, Durando writes. Strawther is shooting 44.4% from beyond the arc this preseason, an area that Braun is struggling with (7.7%). “Obviously it’s never going to be just about who’s playing better in a vacuum,” Malone said. “It’s always going to be about, yes, who’s playing well, but also who complements that unit. And right now to be honest, I think [Braun] and Jamal and Michael [Porter Jr.] and Aaron [Gordon] and Nikola [Jokic], that’s a group that really complements each other well. … I think Russ, Julian, Peyton [Watson], Dario [Saric] and whoever else, I think that’s a really good complementary group as well. But I will give Julian some more chances to get out there and start and play with that [starting] group.”
The first four seasons of his career haven’t progressed in a linear fashion, but it has been encouraging to see Zeke Nnaji stand out in the preseason, Durando writes in the same story. On Tuesday, Nnaji recorded 11 points, two steals and three blocks. There’s been some question as to whether the big man is best suited as a four or a five, but Malone said that didn’t matter. “I don’t get into all that. I think that’s a bunch of malarkey,” Malone said. “In today’s NBA, you’re a big, you’re a small. … This is not 1980s where it’s three-out, two-in. Zeke’s a big. So go out there and play your game. I mean, is Dario Saric a center in anybody’s eyes? Well, he is for us.“
Nnaji’s strong preseason has extended to beyond the arc, Durando observes in a separate feature. He’s shooting a team-best 54.5% and is aiming to bring those numbers to the regular season. That was a trademark skill for Nnaji as a draft prospect and he hit 43.9% of his threes in the first two seasons of his career. However, amid a form change, Nnaji shot 26.1% from deep over the past two seasons. Despite outsiders telling him to revert back to his old form, Nnaji stuck with it and the change looks to finally be paying off.

Spurs’ McDaniels Among Wednesday’s Cuts

October 17th, 2024 at 9:37am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Spurs waived forward Jalen McDaniels on Wednesday, according to the NBA’s transactions log.

San Antonio acquired McDaniels earlier this week from the Kings in a salary dump. The deal sent McDaniels, cash, and the Kings’ unprotected 2031 second-round pick to San Antonio in exchange for the Bulls’ top-55 protected 2025 second-round pick.

At the time of the deal, it was reported the Spurs did not intend to keep McDaniels. San Antonio will be on the hook for McDaniels’ $4.74MM expiring contract, which it absorbed using its $8MM room exception. The Spurs have one of the lowest team salaries in the NBA and still have plenty of room below the tax line after eating his contract.

We have more waiver moves from Wednesday:

The Nuggets waived Andrew Funk, Will Richardson and Charles Bediako. That trio was signed to Exhibit 10 deals last week. They’ll each earn a bonus worth $77.5K if they join Denver’s G League club, the Grand Rapids Gold, and remain with the team for at least 60 days.
The Bucks waived guard James Akinjo. He was signed to an Exhibit 10 contract in late August. The guard split time last season between the Stockton Kings and Wisconsin Herd. He’ll be eligible for $77.5K bonus if he rejoins the Herd and remains with them for at least 60 days.

And-Ones: Neto, Rookie Scale Extensions, 15th Men, More

October 16th, 2024 at 2:10pm CST by Luke Adams

Veteran point guard Raul Neto has signed with Pinheiros Basquete in his home country of Brazil, the team announced in a press release.

Neto, the 47th overall pick in the 2013 draft, made his NBA debut in 2015 and spent eight seasons in the league, appearing in 435 regular season games with four teams. He signed with the Turkish club Fenerbahce during the 2023 offseason, then ruptured the patellar tendon in his right knee while representing Brazil during last year’s World Cup and missed the entire 2023/24 season.

Neto said in a statement that he’s in the “final stages” of his recovery from that knee injury.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

The contracts signed within the past year by Immanuel Quickley (five years, $162.5MM) and Jaden McDaniels (five years, $131MM) are the ones coming up most often in rookie scale extension negotiations this fall, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said on his Hoop Collective podcast (YouTube link). “Those are two contracts that are being referred to a lot and are looked at as sort of the break-even line for some of these agents,” Windhorst said. “Like, ‘I can’t have my guy get less than Quickly got’ or ‘I can’t have my guy get less than, you know, Devin Vassell,” (who) got a similar contract (five years, $135MM) to McDaniels as well. Those seem to be the ranges that we’re talking about.”
Keith Smith of Spotrac takes an interesting, in-depth look at the trend of teams becoming less inclined to fill their 15th roster spot – especially early in the season – and considers the factors that have pushed clubs in that direction.
The NBA is expected to update its policy on cell phone and social media use by players and coaches between the start and end of games, according to Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link), who explains what the revised rules will look like and why they’re a priority for the league.
Fred Katz of The Athletic runs through some notable preseason developments from around the NBA that have caught his eye, including Isaiah Stewart‘s usage at center for the Pistons, the Timberwolves deploying Donte DiVincenzo as a ball-handler, and Julian Strawther‘s strong preseason for the Nuggets.
Diamond Sports Group is asking a judge to approve an agreement that will allow FanDuel to become the new naming sponsor of the Bally Sports networks for the 2024/25 season, reports Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic (Twitter links). The deal, which could become a longer-term arrangement if Diamond Sports exits bankruptcy, would give FanDuel a 5% stake in the company, Vorkunnov adds.

And-Ones: Harrell, Parity, Projections, Season Previews

October 14th, 2024 at 1:10pm CST by Luke Adams

After reaching a deal in September with the Adelaide 36ers to join the team as a short-term replacement for injured forward Jarell Martin, veteran big man Montrezl Harrell is now in advanced talks with the Australian club to sign a rest-of-season contract that would allow him to stick around after Martin returns, reports Olgun Uluc of ESPN.

According to Uluc, the 36ers and Harrell’s agent have been talking for the past few weeks about a possible full-season deal, and the expectation is that the two sides will get something done. If they do, the 36ers will have to deactivate a local player in order to keep Harrell active.

The NBA’s former Sixth Man of the Year is off to a strong start in Adelaide, averaging a double-double (15.7 points, 10.3 rebounds) during his first five games in Australia’s National Basketball League. While Harrell is interested in returning to the NBA, there’s a sense that’s more likely to happen in February or March after the NBL season ends, Uluc explains.

Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

When the Celtics won the NBA title in the spring, they became the sixth different team in the last six years to claim a championship. That’s just the second time in league history that has happened, according to Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic, who takes a closer look at the current era of NBA parity, exploring why it happened and what it means going forward.
John Hollinger of The Athletic previews the season for the seven teams he projects to finish at the bottom of the Eastern Conference, from the Wizards at No. 15 to the Hawks at No. 9. Using his BORD$ formula, Hollinger forecasts just 14 wins for Washington, seven fewer than any other team in the conference. He also has the Pistons moving up to 11th place, with the Raptors claiming the second play-in spot at No. 10.
Zach Kram of The Ringer previews the coming season by sharing one defining statistic for all 30 teams, such as 23.4 for the Thunder (the average age of their roster) and 31.2 for the Nuggets (their three-point attempts per game last season, last in the NBA).
Tim Bontemps of ESPN identifies 10 individuals who will help define the 2024/25 season, ranging from players like Joel Embiid and Karl-Anthony Towns to front office executives such as Calvin Booth of the Nuggets and Mike Dunleavy Jr. of the Warriors. Bontemps’ list also includes a top prospect (Cooper Flagg), an analyst (Charles Barkley), and a head coach (J.J. Redick), among others.

Nuggets Notes: Towns, Saric, Gordon, Westbrook

October 13th, 2024 at 5:50pm CST by Dana Gauruder

With Karl-Anthony Towns now a member of the Knicks, the Timberwolves no longer present major matchup problems for the Nuggets, according to Bennett Durando of the Denver Post.

Denver was eliminated by Minnesota in last season’s playoffs in part because of the Timberwolves’ big man duo of Towns and Rudy Gobert. The Nuggets’ starting lineup had scored 125.9 points per 100 possessions during the regular season, Durando notes, but that number dropped to 102.6 in the second-round series. Oklahoma City now rates as the toughest matchup for Denver as it attempts to win two titles in three seasons.

We have more on the Nuggets:

Dario Saric was added in free agency on a two-year, $10.6MM deal. The Nuggets were intrigued by his versatility, Durando writes. “I think backup five, backup four, can play with Nikola (Jokic) at times, no doubt,” coach Michael Malone said. “If we go big, play him with a guy like DeAndre Jordan. … What you love about Dario is he’s been a three-man, he’s been a four, and later in his NBA career he’s been a backup five, a small-ball five. Very skilled. Can handle it. Can pass. Can shoot. Bigger than people realize. Strong, physical. I’m excited to explore all the options that Dario will afford us.”
Aaron Gordon believes the Nuggets improved in the offseason with Saric and Russell Westbrook in the fold. “We got better,” Gordon told Matt Brooks of Nuggets.com. “I hate losing [Kentavious Caldwell-Pope] and Jeff Green, but I like our additions.”
In case you missed it, the Nuggets picked up the contract options of three key players last week. Get the details here.

And-Ones: Preseason, Abu Dhabi, China, Nakase

October 11th, 2024 at 11:19pm CST by Rory Maher

Unlike the regular season schedule, which is entirely controlled by the NBA, teams around the league dictate their own schedules for preseason, as Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic details.

“It is a fascinating, not well-known part of the NBA ecosystem,” said Warriors chief revenue officer John Beaven. “We’re pretty pleased that control has remained with us. We lean into it. I think there’s some teams that probably do it to check the box.”

One exception is when international teams — like the New Zealand Breakers — come to North America to participate in preseason. NBA teams actually pay those clubs, and the league gets involved to figure out broadcasting rights.

Here are some more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Speaking of the preseason, the NBA canceled Friday’s contest in Orlando between the Magic and Pelicans due to Hurricane Milton, the Magic announced (via Twitter). The game will not be rescheduled.
The Celtics and Nuggets were eager to travel to Abu Dhabi for the NBA’s third consecutive preseason in the capital of the United Arab Emirates, writes Tania Ganguli of The New York Times. The league says it’s focused on growing the sport globally, but it has drawn criticism from human rights groups for partnering with the UAE, China and Rwanda.
Commissioner Adam Silver believes the NBA will return to China in the future, according to Vorkunov. The league hasn’t played a game in the country since then-Rockets GM Daryl Morey sent out a tweet in support of freedom for Hong Kong in 2019. “I think we will bring back games to China at some point,” Silver said Thursday at a sports management conference at Columbia University. “We had a well-known incident there pre-pandemic with a tweet and China’s government took us off the air for a period of time. We accepted that. We stood by our values.”
Former Clippers assistant Natalie Nakase has been named head coach of the WNBA’s Golden State Valkyries, the team announced in a press release. Nakase has spent the past three season as the top assistant for the Las Vegas Aces. “Being named the head coach of the Golden State Valkyries is a lifelong dream come true,” said Nakase. “I am thankful to Joe Lacob, Ohemaa Nyanin and the Golden State front office for entrusting me with this responsibility. We are committed to building a winning culture of grit, hard work, and competitiveness. We will strive to improve, compete, and ultimately bring home a championship for our fans and this organization.”

Northwest Notes: Wolves, Strawther, Braun, Walker, Avdija, George

October 11th, 2024 at 11:17am CST by Tristan Tucker

The Timberwolves are taking a risk by completely changing their roster makeup in the aftermath of the Karl-Anthony Towns trade. However, AthlonSports’ Mark Medina reports that the coaching staff and players are all feeling optimistic about the change.

“There will be a pretty big learning curve,” head coach Chris Finch said. “I’m pretty confident that there are going to be rough edges that we want to smooth out.”

Minnesota reportedly coveted Donte DiVincenzo for a while, and he’ll address any spacing questions after a career year with the Knicks. Julius Randle‘s fit is a bit more interesting, as all indications point toward the Wolves leaning on Naz Reid more. It will be fascinating to see who winds up getting minutes in the closing lineup.

“I see us fitting together extremely well,” Randle said. “If you look at my career and the places that I’ve been and the things that I’ve done. I think the biggest thing I pride myself on is adaptability.”

According to Medina, Finch plans to grant Randle more play-making responsibility this season.

“My only thing is I want to help in any way needed. There’s a tremendous amount of talent here,” Randle said. “Finchy is a great coach. So whatever is asked of me, I’m going to do. I just want to help get us over that hump and win. At this stage of my career, all that matters is winning. I’ve accomplished a lot of great things on the individual scale. But I want to win at this stage of my career. I’m extremely excited and blessed to have this opportunity.”

We have more from the Northwest Division:

For the second straight offseason, the Nuggets lost a key piece to free agency. For the second straight year, they’re hoping that a young player will fill the void left behind. Denver is counting on that strategy to be more successful this time around after watching the offseason growth of both Christian Braun and Julian Strawther, Tony Jones of The Athletic writes. Braun played well over the course of both of his first two seasons in the league, but Strawther hasn’t played much to this point. A skilled three-point marksman, Strawther will be leaned on but has the faith of the coaching staff and his teammates behind him. “Julian Strawther is poised and ready to have a really good second season,” Denver head coach Michael Malone said. “Julian was in the gym every day this summer. Every single day. The guy was a workhorse.“
It’s rare for the 57th pick in a draft to become a rotation so early in their career, but that’s the case for Trail Blazers forward Jabari Walker, who has made 128 career appearances, including 23 starts, and averaged 8.9 points and 7.1 rebounds per game last season. He’s hoping to continue building on his early career success, Aaron Fentress of OregonLive writes. “Jabari has been doing a good job,” head coach Chauncey Billups said. “He’s been having a good camp. He was kind of hampered all summer with his knee and stuff. But he’s been back playing, and he hasn’t missed a beat at all. Obviously, he’s so tough and so competitive, his teams usually do pretty well in the scrimmages because of his rebounding and his competitiveness.”
Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija is not participating in Friday’s matchup against the Clippers as he observes Yom Kippur, he announced in an Instagram story. According to Rose Garden Report’s Sean Highkin (Twitter link), Avdija will make his preseason — and Trail Blazers — debut on Sunday against the Kings.
Jazz guard Keyonte George left Utah’s preseason game and had to be helped off the court near the beginning of the third quarter due to a leg injury, according to Mavs.com’s Eddie Sefko (Twitter link). The Jazz said George was out with a mild left knee sprain, Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune tweets. ESPN’s Tim MacMahon confirms he will get an MRI later on Friday but adds that the Jazz are optimistic he won’t miss much, if any, regular season time (Twitter link).

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