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Nuggets Apply For Disabled Player Exception

January 3rd, 2024 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The Nuggets have asked the NBA to grant them a disabled player exception for forward Vlatko Cancar, reports Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette (Twitter link).

Cancar tore his left ACL in August and is expected to miss the entire 2023/24 season. A disabled player exception gives an over-the-cap team some extra spending power when it loses a player to an injury deemed likely to sideline him through at least June 15.

As we explain in our glossary entry, the exception can be used to sign a free agent, to claim a player off waivers, or to acquire a player in a trade. A DPE can only be used on a single player and can only accommodate a player on a one-year deal. A free agent signee can’t get a multiyear contract, and any trade or waiver target must be in the final year of his contract.

The disabled player exception is worth half the injured player’s salary, up to the amount of the mid-level exception. It doesn’t open up an extra spot on the 15-man roster, so the club must have a roster spot available to use the DPE to add a player.

Cancar’s salary this season is only $2,234,359, so if the Nuggets are granted a DPE, it would be worth just $1,117,180. An exception that small almost certainly won’t be used, but there are rare instances in which it might come in handy — for instance, Denver could use it during the final few weeks of the season to offer a free agent more than the prorated minimum salary.

So far in 2023/24, the Bulls, Grizzlies, and Trail Blazers have been granted disabled player exception, while the Knicks and Spurs have each reportedly applied for a DPE as well. This season’s deadline to use a DPE is March 11.

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Nuggets’ Vlatko Cancar Undergoes Surgery For Torn ACL

August 17th, 2023 at 1:03pm CST by Rory Maher

Forward Vlatko Cancar, who sustained a torn ACL in his left knee earlier this month, recently underwent ACL reconstruction surgery, the Nuggets announced (Twitter link via Mike Singer of The Denver Post).

While Cancar is officially out indefinitely, ACL tears typically have a recovery timeline of 12-plus months, so it seems highly likely that he’ll be sidelined for the entire 2023/24 season.

Cancar suffered the injury while playing in an exhibition game for Team Slovenia as it prepares for the 2023 World Cup. The 26-year-old has had strong international showings for his native country in recent years, including during the 2020 Olympics and last year’s EuroBasket.

It’s a very unfortunate setback for both Cancar and the Nuggets, who lost some bench depth this offseason and now will be without Cancar as well.

A former draft-and-stash second-round pick (49th overall in 2017), Cancar emerged as a semi-regular rotation player in 2022/23, averaging 5.0 PPG and 2.1 RPG on .476/.374/.927 shooting in 60 games (14.8 MPG). He was not in the team’s shortened postseason rotation, however, playing 10 total minutes over five games during Denver’s championship run.

Cancar will make a guaranteed $2.2MM in ’23/24, and the Nuggets hold a $2.3MM team option on his contract for ’24/25.

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Nuggets’ Vlatko Cancar Suffers Torn ACL

August 5th, 2023 at 11:08am CST by Tristan Tucker

Nuggets forward Vlatko Cancar suffered a torn ACL in his left knee on Friday while playing for Slovenia in an exhibition game against Greece leading up to the 2023 World Cup, per The Denver Post’s Mike Singer. According to Singer, there’s no timetable as of yet for the surgery.

A torn ACL typically necessitates upward of a year of recovery time, meaning it would be somewhat surprising to see Cancar suit up in 2023.

It’s unfortunate news for the 26-year-old, who began carving out a bigger role with the Nuggets last season. With Jeff Green and Thomas Bryant, along with hybrid guard Bruce Brown, departing Denver in free agency, it looked like Cancar was in line for an even larger responsibility this upcoming season.

Cancar is in the second year of a three-year, $6.8MM deal he signed in 2022. He has a team option for next season, his final year of club control before he hits the open market. Given that Cancar made noticeable strides last season and the fact that he’s been in Denver’s system for so long, it’s possible that the Nuggets will keep him around through next season, despite the injury.

The 6’8″ forward joined the Nuggets in 2019 after being selected by the team with the No. 49 overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft. In his first three seasons with Denver, Cancar averaged 2.3 points per game in 70 appearances. This past season, Cancar averaged 5.0 points and 2.1 rebounds in 60 contests (nine starts).

Cancar wasn’t just an important piece for the Nuggets, but also for Slovenia, who are aiming to medal in the World Cup. Cancar averaged 12.8 points in six games in the 2020 Olympics and averaged 11.6 points in seven EuroBasket contests in 2022.

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Western Notes: Gilgeous-Alexander, Jones, Cancar, Nuggets’ Bench

March 12th, 2023 at 5:38pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander pumped in 35 points against New Orleans on Saturday but the Thunder are still playing it cautious with his recent injury. He sat out the second game of a back-to-back against San Antonio on Sunday due to what the team described as abdominal strain injury management, Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman tweets. The Thunder star guard has exceeded the 30-point mark in his last four outings.

We have more from the Western Conference:

  • Tre Jones missed the Spurs‘ game against Oklahoma City on Sunday with a non-COVID illness, Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express News tweets. Jones averaged 13 points and six assists in his last two appearances.
  • Nuggets forward Vlatko Cancar was available to play against Brooklyn on Sunday, coach Michael Malone told Mike Singer of the Denver Post (Twitter link). Cancar missed three games with a wrist sprain and also didn’t play against San Antonio on Friday.
  • The Nuggets’ second unit has been unsettled after changes were made during and after the trade deadline, Singer writes. Reggie Jackson has struggled with his shooting (29%) since becoming the backup point guard and Thomas Bryant has been relatively quiet since he was brought in to back up Nikola Jokic. “We’re still trying to figure stuff out,” swingman Bruce Brown said.
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Northwest Notes: Gordon, Cancar, Thunder, Towns

March 8th, 2023 at 7:31pm CST by Arthur Hill

Aaron Gordon believes mutual sacrifice and team camaraderie are among the reasons the Nuggets have been able to rise to the top spot in the West, writes Mike Singer of The Denver Post. Gordon, who has been with Denver since being acquired in a trade with the Magic two years ago, says it’s rare to find a team where everyone is committed to the same goal.

“I’m not here to win a championship for myself,” he said. “I’m here to win a championship for Joker (Nikola Jokic). Joker’s here to win a championship for Jamal (Murray) and (coach) Michael Malone and Michael Porter. (Kentavious Caldwell-Pope), we’re looking to get him another one. I’m not doing this for myself. I’m doing it for the guys around me.”

Gordon, who’s enjoying one of the best seasons of his nine-year career, had a brief interruption recently due to a rib contusion. He returned last week and helped the Nuggets to four straight victories.

There’s more from the Northwest Division:

  • Vlatko Cancar, who signed a new three-year contract last summer, told Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports that he hopes to spend his entire career with the Nuggets. The Slovenian power forward has a rotation role this season for the first time in his four years with the team. “I want to be in Denver because, first of all, I love it here. This is my first team, and I just want to be with the one team that drafted me, that believed in me,” Cancar said. “So I just want to give back to them with being positive, being a true professional, and when the opportunity comes, just play as best as I can.”
  • Kevin Durant sees a bright future for his first NBA franchise, per Dana Scott of The Arizona Republic. The Thunder will be the opponent tonight when Durant plays his first home game with the Suns. “You got some potential up and down the lineup, guys that can be impact players in this league, a front office and coaching staff that understands what that’s like developing players,” Durant said of the Thunder. “So the last couple years they’ve been trending in the right direction and I feel like they’re working their way to being a playoff team.”
  • The Timberwolves have been saying that Karl-Anthony Towns is in the “final stages” of his recovery from a calf injury for several weeks, and Jim Souhan of The Star Tribune wonders why there’s so much secrecy.
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Northwest Notes: Westbrook, Williams, Hyland, Nuggets Bench

February 17th, 2023 at 10:19pm CST by Rory Maher

Tony Jones of The Athletic believes it’s “very, very unlikely” that Russell Westbrook will ever play a game for the Jazz, noting that the veteran guard wouldn’t receive much playing time as the team prioritizes its younger players (Twitter links).

According to Jones, the two most likely scenarios for Westbrook are securing a buyout if he finds a situation he likes, or remaining on Utah’s roster but away from the team.

While that’s hardly surprising news, it’s still noteworthy that Westbrook might finish the season not actively playing. On the other hand, if he joins another team and things go awry, that could hurt his value ahead of free agency.

The 2016/17 MVP has made over $300MM in his career, so it’s not like he needs more money, but it’s a lot easier for a team to move on from a player who isn’t making much money than one who is. It’s a tricky balance to strike for a decorated player who was often criticized (sometimes unfairly) on his last team.

Here’s more from the Northwest:

  • Thunder swingman Jalen Williams has flown under the radar a bit in ’22/23, but he’s having an outstanding rookie season, averaging 12.2 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 2.9 APG and 1.2 SPG on .508/.324/.759 shooting. He recently spoke to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype about a number of topics, sharing an amusing story about how he first met head coach Mark Daigneault.
  • Bones Hyland was traded to the Clippers last week after a rocky end to his Nuggets tenure. The second-year guard explained that he had “great communication” with Denver’s front office, but not so much with the coaching staff. “Yeah, I feel like it could’ve been done better on both ends,” Hyland said, per Mike Singer of The Denver Post (subscriber link). “Just more communication. I’ve got so much love for Denver, but I just feel like the communication was just so low. I had a lot of mixed emotions, and we didn’t come together and just make it better.”
  • Nuggets head coach Michael Malone suggested he’s going to run a five-man bench lineup of Reggie Jackson, Bruce Brown, Christian Braun, Vlatko Cancar and Thomas Bryant once Jackson is activated after the All-Star break, tweets Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports. A notable omission from that group is veteran forward Jeff Green, who has consistently been in the rotation when healthy and scored a season-high 24 points in Wednesday’s victory over Dallas. Malone has tweaked the bench rotation multiple times this season, however, so it wouldn’t be surprising if that five-man group changes over time.
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Northwest Notes: Reddish, Thybulle, Thunder, Booth, Cancar

February 15th, 2023 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

After failing to establish themselves as long-term cornerstones in New York (and Atlanta) and Philadelphia, respectively, fourth-year forwards Cam Reddish and Matisse Thybulle are welcoming the opportunity to prove their worth in Portland, where they’ve immediately been inserted into the Trail Blazers‘ starting five.

As Jason Quick of The Athletic writes, Reddish shed tears when he learned of the trade sending him to Portland, which came as a surprise to the 23-year-old, who said he didn’t “really know why” it happened: “I think it was I just had so much stuff bottled up.”

Following the Blazers’ acquisition of Reddish, head coach Chauncey Billups told the former lottery pick that he has a “clean slate” in Portland and that he’ll only be judged on what he does going forward, rather than what he’s done in his first three-and-a-half NBA seasons.

“I just haven’t really had like a real, real shot to really play my game at the level I know I can play it,” Reddish said. “I feel like, honestly, I’m blessed to be in Portland, to have this opportunity. And I want to take full advantage of it. I’m not going to take it for granted, not even for one second.”

As for Thybulle, Billups pulled the two-time All-Defensive wing into his office before his first game as a Blazer to tell him how happy the team was to have him, writes Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian. Billups also advised Thybulle to play freely and not worry about making mistakes.

“The first thing was I felt comfortable,” Thybulle said, per Fentress. “I didn’t realize how much you can take that for granted. So, just to be out there and feel comfortable and to feel and know that I’m wanted and needed, and this coaching staff and players have my back. I think it showed in just my ability to play and be more of myself.”

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

  • Within a feature on Rockets rookie Jabari Smith Jr., his father Jabari Smith Sr. suggests to Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated that his son believed he had a promise from the Thunder to draft him second overall last June. Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman (Twitter link) doesn’t dispute that claim, but notes that Holmgren’s agent Bill Duffy told him on draft night that Holmgren – who was widely viewed as the favorite to be the No. 2 overall pick – was OKC’s “number one priority.” It’s possible the Thunder were counting on either Smith or Holmgren to be selected first overall and intended to draft the other.
  • Harrison Wind of TheDNVR.com argues that Nuggets general manager Calvin Booth has a strong case for this year’s Executive of the Year award after drafting Christian Braun, trading for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and signing Bruce Brown as a free agent last summer. More recently, Booth addressed a pair of roster holes by acquiring Thomas Bryant at the trade deadline and signing Reggie Jackson on the buyout market.
  • One under-the-radar Nuggets move last offseason was the decision to sign little-used forward Vlatko Cancar to a new three-year deal. As Wind writes in another TheDNVR.story, Cancar has enjoyed a breakout season in the first year of his new contract, posting a shooting line of .506/.442/.958, making high-IQ plays, and holding his own against most assignments on the defensive end.
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Northwest Notes: Murray, Hyland, Wolves, Thunder

February 5th, 2023 at 11:00am CST by Luke Adams

Asked after Thursday’s win over Golden State about Nuggets players being willing to sacrifice individual opportunities for the sake of team success, Jamal Murray suggested that’s an important reason why the 37-16 Nuggets are tied for the NBA’s best record, writes Mike Singer of The Denver Post.

“We’re a championship team,” Murray said. “All that stuff, not being happy, has gotta go out the window or else we’re not going to win. It’s nice to have a coach that knows that and knows what we’re trying to accomplish.”

Murray’s comments could be interpreted as a dig at fellow guard Bones Hyland, who is reportedly on the trade block due in part to unhappiness about his role. However, according to Singer, Murray was talking more about teammates like Vlatko Cancar, whose commitment to doing what’s best for the club hasn’t changed even as his playing time has. Murray, who referred to Cancar as “selfless,” clarified on Saturday that he wasn’t taking any shots at Hyland, tweets Singer.

“It’s tough for Bones, man … No one wants to be in this position,” Murray said of his teammate, who has been a DNP-CD for Denver’s last two games as trade rumors swirl. “… He’s doing his best. Me and him are cool, we don’t have no problems. Just trying to keep him in good spirits and know that his time’s coming.”

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

  • Nuggets head coach Michael Malone also weighed in on Saturday on Hyland’s status as a trade candidate who has been out of the rotation this week. “It’s a real sensitive area for everyone involved,” Malone said, per Singer (Twitter link). “… Just trying to give him some space, but also let him know, yes, this is a business, but we also care about you. …. I put myself in his situation, and it’s not easy.”
  • In a Q&A with Chris Hine of The Star Tribune, president of basketball operations Tim Connelly said the Timberwolves have had “varying degrees of discussions” about contract extensions with D’Angelo Russell, Naz Reid, and Jaylen Nowell, and view all three players as “very important” to the team. Connelly also admitted he doesn’t particularly enjoy trade season. “The whole idea of trading guys is kind of gross,” he said. They’re human beings, not assets.”
  • Anthony Slater of The Athletic checks in on the Thunder‘s rebuilding process, which has been progressing ahead of schedule. While Shai Gilgeous-Alexander‘s emergence as an All-NBA caliber player has been the driving force behind Oklahoma City’s relative success (the team has surpassed its win total for each of the last two seasons with 30 games still to play), Slater notes that Josh Giddey has been a capable “co-pilot” and the team is putting together an impressive defensive-minded supporting cast.
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21 More NBA Players Become Trade-Eligible

January 15th, 2023 at 8:23am CST by Luke Adams

Today is Sunday, January 15, which means that nearly two dozen players who signed free agent contracts meeting specific criteria this past offseason are now eligible to be traded.

Most offseason signees became trade-eligible on December 15, but players who met the following criteria were ineligible to be moved for an extra month:

  1. The player re-signed with his previous team.
  2. He got a raise of at least 20%.
  3. His salary is worth more than the minimum.
  4. His team was over the cap and used Bird or Early Bird rights to sign him.

The following players met that criteria and are eligible to be traded as of Sunday:

(* Players marked with an asterisk have the ability to veto trades.)

Most of the players on NBA rosters are now eligible to be moved, though a small handful still can’t be dealt. That group includes Thunder guard Isaiah Joe, who becomes trade-eligible on Monday, Bucks swingman Pat Connaughton (trade-eligible on Wednesday), and Thunder forward Kenrich Williams (trade-eligible on Friday).

There are also several players who won’t become trade-eligible before this season’s February 9 deadline, including Lakers star LeBron James. Players on 10-day contracts are also ineligible to be dealt.

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Nuggets Notes: Power Forwards, Gordon, Jokic, Braun

December 27th, 2022 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Nuggets head coach Michael Malone said on Sunday that the team will take a by-committee approach to replacing Jeff Green‘s minutes with the forward expected to miss at least a month or so due to a finger injury.

As Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports tweets, Malone mentioned Zeke Nnaji as a logical replacement from Green at power forward, but noted that Vlatko Cancar, Michael Porter Jr., and Bruce Brown could all see minutes at the four as well. Nnaji was ineffective vs. Phoenix on Sunday, picking up three fouls and no points or rebounds in nine minutes of action.

Here’s more on the Nuggets:

  • Aaron Gordon had 28 points, 13 rebounds, a highlight-reel dunk, and a key blocked shot in Sunday’s victory and has now been a plus-65 during Denver’s four-game winning streak (the Nuggets have been outscored by 31 points with Gordon off the court during the streak). As Mike Singer of The Denver Post writes, the forward’s ability to contribute all over the court has Malone talking about him as a potential All-Star and Nikola Jokic referring to him as the “soul of this team.”
  • Gordon is questionable to play on Tuesday in Sacramento due to a right shoulder strain, tweets Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette.
  • Voter fatigue will likely work against Jokic as he makes a bid for a third consecutive MVP award, but the Nuggets’ star center is building a strong case for consideration, according to John Hollinger of The Athletic. The 27-year-old is nearly averaging a triple-double for the top team in the Western Conference and has scored more efficiently than ever, with a career-best .616 FG%. Additionally, the Nuggets have a plus-11.3 net rating with Jokic on the floor, compared to an abysmal minus-13.6 mark when he sits, per NBA.com.
  • Within the same Athletic story, Hollinger checks in on Nuggets rookie wing Christian Braun, who has been playing rotation minutes as of late. Hollinger is intrigued by the potential Braun has shown on defense, but acknowledges his role on offense is unlikely to expand beyond “guy who stands in the corner” anytime in the near future.
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