Denver Nuggets Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Western Notes: Reed, Balcetis, Okogie, Richardson

March 9th, 2022 at 5:55pm CST by Rory Maher

Nuggets two-way guard Davon Reed probably won’t see much action when the team is fully healthy, but he has earned the team’s trust by taking advantage of his limited opportunities, writes Kyle Fredrickson of The Denver Post. Reed received nearly 20 minutes of playing time due to Will Barton‘s ankle injury on Monday night, scoring a career-high 17 points on just eight shot attempts (five of seven from deep) in Denver’s 131-124 win over the Warriors.

Reed is 30-for-64 from three-point range on the season, good for 46.9%. He says he puts in the work to stay ready for when his number is called.

“If I don’t play, I’m upstairs after every game getting shots up. I’m getting my work in every day. All I can do is control what I can control by staying ready,” Reed said. “It’s not going to happen like this every night. But shots were able to go in. It’s a testament to the work.”

Reed’s impressive work ethic has earned praise from superstar teammate Nikola Jokic, as Fredrickson relays.

“I always respect that,” Jokic said. “It’s something that shows to me that he cares. That he wants to be here and wants to be part of the team. He wants to get better. He performed well today. He knocked down some threes and played really (well). Just the respect of staying ready.”

In case you missed it, our JD Shaw interviewed Reed back in January.

Here’s more from the Western Conference:

Nuggets assistant GM Tommy Balcetis has had an unusual path to the NBA, Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic writes as part of his 40 under 40 series. Balcetis immigrated to the U.S. from Lithuania as a teenager, then played high school and college hoops. Unfortunately, his playing career was ended prematurely when it was discovered he had a heart condition. He was determined to work in the league, taking a pay cut work in the international media division a couple years after college, as Vorkunov details. Balcetis met president of basketball operations Tim Connelly at a Basketball Without Borders event in Russia in 2012, and sent Connelly a congratulatory text when he was hired by Denver in 2013. They’d only met once, but Connelly remembered him and asked for his résumé. “He impressed me with his passion and intelligence and knowledge of the game,” Connelly said, recalling what made him reach out. “I thought his story was really cool.”
Josh Okogie has seen scant playing time this season for the Timberwolves, but he’s providing leadership off the bench, per Chris Hine of The Star Tribune. “He has the same approach every single day,” head coach Chris Finch said. “I know a lot of times he’s been frustrated not being able to play or not being able to hold a consistent role as things changed around him, and sometimes it wasn’t his fault. … But he’s been a great pro. Really mature, into the game, into the practice and the preparation, and he has a bright future in this league.” Okogie will be a restricted free agent this summer if the Wolves tender him a qualifying offer.
Spurs guard Josh Richardson has embraced his new role as an elder statesman, but it’s unclear if he’ll remain in San Antonio beyond this season, according to Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News. At 28, Richardson is the second-oldest player on the team behind Doug McDermott (30). “When you come to a team that has a rotation set already, it’s going to be a little different,” Richardson said of his limited role thus far. “I knew that coming here. You’ve got to be professional and stay ready.” Richardson has one year left on his contract after signing an extension last summer. He’ll earn $12,196,094 in 2022/23.

Domantas Sabonis Receives One-Game Suspension

March 9th, 2022 at 12:15pm CST by Luke Adams

Kings center Domantas Sabonis has been suspended without pay by the NBA for one game, the league announced today in a press release. Sabonis will serve his suspension on Wednesday when the Kings host the Nuggets in Sacramento.

According to the NBA, Sabonis’ suspension stems from an incident that occurred during the fourth quarter of Sacramento’s loss to the Knicks on Monday.

After being hit with a technical foul for his reaction to a foul call, Sabonis “reacted demonstratively again in the vicinity of the game official, and approached and bumped the official in a hostile manner,” per the league. He was assessed a second technical and ejected from the game.

The NBA posted a video of the incident on its website.

The suspension will cost Sabonis $127,586, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link). That amount is 1/145th of the 25-year-old’s $18.5MM base salary for 2021/22.

With center Richaun Holmes also unavailable on Wednesday for personal reasons, the Kings will be without their top two centers when they take on Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets. Chimezie Metu and Damian Jones will likely take on increased roles. Alex Len could also see action, though he hasn’t been part of Sacramento’s regular rotation for nearly two months.

And-Ones: MVP Race, Fenway Sports Group, 2022 Draft

March 7th, 2022 at 2:16pm CST by Luke Adams

The 2021/22 MVP race is one for the ages, according to John Hollinger of The Athletic, who contends that we “aren’t talking about it nearly enough.” As Hollinger outlines, Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, Sixers center Joel Embiid are each in the midst of a historic season and would be a clear MVP frontrunner if it weren’t for the presence of the other two.

If the season ended today, Hollinger notes, Jokic (32.3) and Antetokounmpo (32.0) would have the two highest single-season PERs in NBA history, while Embiid’s (31.0) would also make the top 10. Hollinger says he’d pick Jokic for MVP if forced to decide right now, but with over a month left in the season, there’s still plenty of time for Antetokounmpo and Embiid to strengthen their cases.

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

Gerry Cardinale, a shareholder in Fenway Sports Group, says that adding an NBA franchise is “a real top priority” for the massive Boston-based firm, as Michael Silverman of The Boston Globe writes. The FSG conglomerate already owns MLB’s Boston Red Sox, the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins, and the Premier League’s Liverpool FC.
Wake Forest guard Alondes Williams, Kansas guard Christian Braun, and Colorado State forward David Roddy are among the best bets to further improve their draft stock with strong performances to finish out the NCAA season, says Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report. Wasserman also singles out four other prospects who are candidates to rise up draft boards in the coming weeks.
Touching on several stories from around the NBA in his latest article for The Ringer, Kevin O’Connor makes a case for why the Knicks should lean more heavily on their young players, breaks down what Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans have brought to the Mavericks, and praises the work the Rockets have done developing their rookies this season. O’Connor also argues that the NBA should tweak its playoff format to allow top seeds to pick their first-round opponents.

Nuggets Notes: Cousins, Malone, Barton, Gordon, Jokic

March 6th, 2022 at 1:36pm CST by Rory Maher

DeMarcus Cousins had a stellar game on Friday night for the Nuggets, putting up a season-high 31 points on 14 shots in just 24 minutes of action. Cousins also contributed nine rebounds, four assists and three steals in the team’s 116-101 win over the Rockets. Cousins started in place of reigning MVP Nikola Jokic, who was out with a non-COVID illness, as Mike Singer of The Denver Post relays.

Cousins said he was released by the Bucks earlier in the season due to a calf strain, giving Denver the opportunity to pick him up. Coach Michael Malone says he’s never lost faith in Cousins, even if others have. “Most people had given up on him,” Malone said after Friday’s game. “All you need is somebody to believe in you.”

Malone said Cousins lost eight-to-10 pounds after arriving in Denver, per Singer. Malone also said Cousins’ strong recent play could help lessen the load on Jokic, who’s having another MVP-caliber season. “He keeps on playing like this … you don’t have to run Nikola into the ground,” said Malone, who suggested the Nuggets might have the best center tandem in the NBA.

“It’s very satisfying,” said Cousins when asked what it’s meant to him to take advantage of his latest stop. “It’s even a better feeling to have a coach that believes in you, an organization that believes in you.”

Here’s more from Denver:

Advice from his basketball idol Kobe Bryant helped Will Barton become the Nuggets’ all-time leader in three-point field goals, according to Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports. “Kobe told me, ‘If you get a jump shot, you’re going to be deadly,'” Barton said. “Once he told me I had talent and all I had to do was work on my jumper, it further solidified what I already thought about myself.” The former second-round pick struggled with his shot early in his career, but transformed himself into a solid marksman over the past eight seasons with Denver, making 36% of his 3-pointers. Barton set the franchise mark with his 769th trey in the team’s win over the Rockets on Friday, breaking a record held by J.R. Smith.
Aaron Gordon has developed impressive chemistry with Jokic, writes Singer in a separate article for The Denver Post. “Jok’s IQ is through the roof,” Gordon said. “He’s a basketball savant. Just genius. It’s great talking to him, understanding how he sees the game. How we can make it easier for him and where he needs us to be.” Gordon is taking advantage of Jokic’s elite passing by making smart cuts to the basket, leading to a career-best 51.7% from the field, including 60.6% on two-pointers. Gordon told Singer that he’s “seeing the game differently.” “Just angles,” he said. “Attacking angles. Making reads. I finally feel like I’m making better reads.”
Jokic gave a typically self-effacing reply regarding his conversations with Gordon, Singer relays in the same piece. “I don’t know the right answer,” said Jokic. “I’m just trying to help him. … I’m just telling him what I know. If that helps him, or not, I don’t know. I’m just trying to tell him what I see.” Singer notes that a quarter of Jokic’s assists this season have gone to Gordon, the highest mark on the team.

Northwest Notes: Murray, Porter Jr., House, McLaughlin, Wolves

March 5th, 2022 at 4:04pm CST by JD Shaw

The Nuggets scrapped their plan to send Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. to the team’s G League affiliate in Grand Rapids on Friday, Mike Singer of the Denver Post writes. Murray is rehabbing from a torn ACL, while Porter is recovering from lumbar spine surgery.

The pair was set to travel to Grand Rapids, but logistical concerns and the team only being able to practice once nixed the idea — it’s about a two-and-a-half hour flight from Denver to Grand Rapids. It remains possible that Murray and Porter could practice or scrimmage with the Gold down the road, Singer notes.

Denver currently ranks sixth in the West with a 37-26 record. Porter is eyeing a return sometime this month, as we previously relayed, while the Nuggets still hope Murray can return before the playoffs.

Here are some other notes from the Northwest:

Rockets coach Stephen Silas expressed support for Jazz forward Danuel House, who played for Houston from 2018-21, Eric Walden of the Salt Lake City Tribune tweets. House signed three 10-day contracts with Utah before earning a standard deal. “I’m happy for him and proud of him because he’s a contributor for a winning team,” Silas said. “I love him. It wasn’t anything he did wrong (here). I’m happy he landed on his feet.”
The Timberwolves‘ coaching staff hesitated to get Jordan McLaughlin into the team’s flow earlier this season, Chris Hine of the Star Tribune writes. McLaughlin has since taken on a bigger role for Minnesota, playing double-digit minutes in his last 16 games. “He kind of fell through the cracks in our player development structure a little bit,” head coach Chris Finch admitted. “So that was on us for the beginning of the season.”
Speaking of the Timberwolves, the team’s bench unit has benefited from its off-court chemistry, Hine writes in a separate story for the Star Tribune. Minnesota finished with 74 bench points a 138-101 victory over the Thunder on Saturday, headlined by strong performances from Malik Beasley, Taurean Prince and Naz Reid.

Terrence Jones To Join Nuggets’ G League Affiliate

March 3rd, 2022 at 12:48pm CST by JD Shaw

Six-year NBA veteran Terrence Jones has signed a contract in the G League, agent Jerry Dianis told Hoops Rumors. Jones will be acquired by the Grand Rapids Gold, the Nuggets‘ NBAGL affiliate.

Jones, 30, was the No. 18 pick in the 2012 NBA Draft. He has made stops with Houston, New Orleans and Milwaukee during his NBA career, averaging 10.4 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 23.8 minutes per contest.

“Terrence has absolutely dominated everywhere he’s been since last playing in the NBA,” Dianis said. “He averaged 32 points, 15 rebounds, seven assists and three blocks per game in the Philippines. He’s a versatile player who’s also an exceptional rebounder and passer.

“Everyone in the NBA knows how talented he is. This is an opportunity for him to prove it again on American soil. In their first G League season, Grand Rapids has proven to be fertile ground for experienced, ex-NBA players (such as Lance Stephenson and Isaiah Thomas) who are looking to resurrect their careers.”

Jones is one of several veterans to sign in the G League with hopes of making an NBA comeback this season. His last NBA stint came during the 2018/19 campaign with Houston, when he appeared in two games. Along with the Philippines, he’s also made stops in China and Puerto Rico over the course of his career.

Prior to being drafted, the 6’9″ Jones had a successful collegiate stint at Kentucky that included an NCAA championship in 2012. His last G League stint came in 2018/19, when he averaged 23.5 points and 9.4 rebounds in 26 games.

Jamal Murray Won’t Speculate On When He Might Return

March 2nd, 2022 at 8:42pm CST by Arthur Hill

There has been widespread speculation that Nuggets guard Jamal Murray will be able to return in time for the playoffs, but Murray tells Adam Caparell of Complex Sports that he’s not sure of his own status.

Murray is recovering from surgery after tearing his ACL last April. The rehab process has been more difficult than he anticipated and he’s not trying to meet a set timeline. His only goal is to “feel normal” whenever he does start playing again.

“I’m too far to tell,” Murray responded when asked if he has an approximate date in mind. “I’m obviously progressing every week. But I have my bad weeks where I can’t do the simple stuff and then I’ll have weeks where I feel like I can jump out of the gym. It’s just getting the stress pain down. Adding tolerance right now and trying to ramp it up. I don’t know. I’m in a good spot, I just don’t know the exact time right now.”

Murray was in the middle of his best season when the injury struck, averaging a career-high 21.2 points per game, along with 4.0 rebounds and 4.8 assists. He was also shooting career-best marks from the field (47.7%) and three-point range (40.8%) and was coming off a spectacular performance in the 2020 postseason.

If Murray is able to return at anywhere near top form, he could be an X-factor in the Western Conference playoffs, especially if Denver also has Michael Porter Jr., who is working to overcome a back injury. With Nikola Jokic bidding for a second straight MVP award, the Nuggets have managed to stay in the middle of the race at 36-25 without two of their stars.

But Murray is trying not to let that prospect influence his decision as he focuses on what he needs to do to resume playing.

“I’m trending steadily, yeah. It’s different when you’re in it. You can’t really tell,” he said. “You don’t really know how much time has passed. But I know I have a couple of months before the playoffs. I’m just trying to gear up as much as I can, and if not, I’ll just sit out. Taking it slowly, not really thinking about the months ahead, just taking it day by day. Months ahead from now I can say I put in the work.”

After he suffered the injury, Murray reached out to several players who had been through the ACL experience, and he said some called him as well to let him know what to expect. He added that he was encouraged to see Dejounte Murray and Zach LaVine, who have both recovered from ACL injuries, earn spots in the All-Star Game this year.

Murray describes the rehab process as “tedious” and said there are mental challenges along with the physical ones.

“It’s not just me sitting out for a year—it’s the work, the continuous work you’re putting in to get back, or to get back to that level,” he said. “And you’re always thinking you’re going into the abyss, you’re going into the unknown and you’re just trying to figure it out as you go. And that’s the toughest part. Not knowing when I’m going to come back. Not knowing how I’m going to feel. Not having the reps. Not having the confidence yet to do what I do. It’s just building all that back up right now and that’s been the toughest part up until this point. Now I’m just blessed to be back on the court doing what I can and it’s about feeling better every day.”

Agent Anticipates Jokic Will Sign Super-Max Deal In Offseason

March 2nd, 2022 at 2:19pm CST by Luke Adams

Misko Raznatovic, the agent for Nikola Jokic, expects the star center to sign a super-max contract extension with the Nuggets during the 2022 offseason, he said during an appearance on Donatas Urbonas’ podcast at BasketNews.com.

“According to our expectations, it should be signed this summer,” Raznatovic said. “The extension of the maximum amount, what he obviously deserved.”

Raznatovic’s comments are essentially just further confirmation of an outcome that has long been anticipated.

Jokic qualified for a super-max contract – also known as a designated veteran extension – when he won the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award in 2021. However, he only had six years of NBA service at that time, and a player signing a super-max deal, which starts at 35% of the salary cap instead of 30%, must have at least seven years under his belt. So even though he had met the performance criteria, Jokic had to wait one more year to extend his contract.

The 27-year-old has done nothing this season to dissuade the Nuggets from putting that super-max offer on the table, having averaged 25.5 points, 13.8 rebounds, 8.0 assists, and 1.4 steals on .567/.364/.806 shooting in 55 games (33.0 MPG).

Jokic, who will be eligible to officially sign his extension once the new league year begins in July, can tack five new years onto the final season of his current contract, which will pay him $33.6MM in 2022/23. We can’t yet pin down the exact value of the reigning MVP’s super-max extension, since it will be based on the salary cap in 2023/24.

Last month, the NBA projected a $121MM salary cap for the ’22/23 season, so it’s a safe bet that number will continue to rise the following year — we just don’t know by how much. For instance, if the ’23/24 salary cap is $124MM, Jokic’s five-year extension would be worth $251.7MM. A $128MM cap would result in a $259.8MM deal.

No matter what the precise amount of the extension is, it’ll be a record-setting payday for Jokic, one that his agent expects him to take in stride.

“Luka Doncic organized a nice party for his last contract that put some kind of challenge primarily for me because I am very well known for organizing parties and participating in social life,” Raznatovic told Urbonas with a smile. “But knowing Nikola, probably nothing will happen, and everything will be the same. Just one piece of paper to be signed.”

Northwest Notes: Nurkic, Wright, MPJ, Arthur

March 1st, 2022 at 6:33pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Trail Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic, an unrestricted free agent this summer, will be sitting for at least four weeks with a plantar fasciitis injury. John Hollinger of The Athletic reads the tea leaves and examines Nurkic’s potential future in Portland, as well as explaining why the club will likely operate over the cap during the 2022 offseason.

Nurkic is in the final season of a four-year, $48MM deal with the Trail Blazers and has averaged 17.4 PPG, 12.6 RPG and 3.4 APG since the start of 2022. Though the 27-year-old is no longer the shot blocker he was before suffering a compound fracture of his left leg near the end of the 2018/19 NBA season, Hollinger notes that the rest of his game seems more or less to have returned. The 6’11” big man is averaging 15.0 PPG, 11.1 RPG, 2.8 APG and 1.1 SPG this year.

As Hollinger writes, the Trail Blazers could sign Nurkic to a contract extension that starts at $14.4MM, a 120% annual increase of his current salary. However, Hollinger believes that Nurkic should be able to net significantly more than that in free agency this summer. If they re-sign Nurkic and retain Josh Hart, the Blazers would likely be an over-the-cap team, allowing them to retain their $20MM+ trade exception.

There’s more out of the Northwest Division:

Injured Timberwolves point guard McKinley Wright IV, currently on a two-way deal with the club, will start taking contact in team practices as he continues to recover from a left UCL issue, per Minnesota’s official PR team (via Twitter). The Timberwolves are set to reassess Wright on Sunday. The 23-year-old rookie out of Colorado has appeared in just three games with Minnesota this year.
Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. will soon scrimmage with the Grand Rapids Gold, Denver’s NBA G League affiliate, per Mike Singer of the Denver Post. Porter, still working to rehabilitate following a December 1 back surgery, has already resumed one-on-one contact workouts. “You got a 6-foot-10 guy that shoots it like that, and then you start to remind yourself, ‘Man, like, last year, before we had injuries to [guard Jamal Murray], we all felt we had a chance to win it,’” head coach Michael Malone said. “Whenever we get those guys back, this year or next year, we feel the same way. We have a chance to win it when we get fully healthy… As of right now, still in the early steps of trying to re-integrate those guys back slowly, and as they get cleared to do more and more things, then, obviously, we can ramp it up with them.”
The Nuggets have hired former NBA forward Darrell Arthur to serve as a basketball operations associate for the team, Denver announced (Twitter link). Arthur, 33, played for nine NBA seasons, appearing in 503 games. He was with the Nuggets from the 2013/14 season through the 2017/18 season.

Nuggets Notes: Porter, Murray, Jokic, Bench

February 28th, 2022 at 4:03pm CST by Luke Adams

Following up on ESPN’s report that Michael Porter Jr. (back) is hoping to play at some point in March, Sam Amick of The Athletic provides some additional details, citing a source with knowledge of the situation who says the Nuggets forward is on track to return in mid-to-late March.

Sources tell The Athletic that there’s a “strong sense” within Denver’s locker room that both Porter and Jamal Murray (ACL tear) will be back in time for the playoffs, if not sooner. However, Murray’s timeline is trickier to pin down than Porter’s, according to Amick. Given the severity of Murray’s injury and the sensitivity with which the Nuggets have handled his recovery, the team figures to “handle the final stages of his process with the utmost care,” Amick writes.

Here’s more on the Nuggets:

While Nuggets star Nikola Jokic would love to have his injured teammates back in the lineup, he’s not exactly seeking constant updates on their respective situations, as Amick relays. “To be honest, I don’t think about it,” Jokic said. “I’d rather them be healthy than to come back early, so I don’t even think about it. So I just wish them to get healthy, 100 percent.”
Mike Singer and Mark Kiszla of The Denver Post discuss the potential impact of Porter’s return, disagreeing about whether he’ll re-enter the Nuggets’ starting lineup. Kiszla doesn’t think that will happen until next season, while Singer believes it makes sense to start MPJ once he’s ready in order to move Jeff Green to the bench and decrease Jokic’s offensive workload.
The Nuggets’ second unit was a liability earlier in the season, but it has morphed into a legitimate weapon since the team traded for Bryn Forbes and signed DeMarcus Cousins, Singer writes in a separate article for The Denver Post. The club got a season-high 76 points from its bench in Sunday’s win over Portland, including a combined 39 points and 18 rebounds from Cousins and JaMychal Green.