Nuggets Pick Up Options on Harris, Nurkic
By Drew Davis
The Nuggets picked up third-year team options on Gary Harris and Jusuf Nurkic Sunday, for the 2016/17 season, per team’s official website.
Both Harris and Nurkic were acquired after being first-round picks in the 2014 NBA draft. Denver acquired the pair from the Chicago Bulls for fellow 2014 first-rounder Doug McDermott, and both have shown plenty of promise.
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Nurkic was the 16th overall pick and quickly proved himself as a foundational piece for the Nuggets’ future. After Denver traded away Timofey Mozgov, the young Bosnian improved his play and ended up starting 27 games. For the season, he averaged 6.9 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.1 blocks. Though he’s currently recovering from a torn patella tendon, the 21-year-old Nurkic will still look to continue improving, with newfound job security.
Harris was taken three picks after Nurkic and averaged 13.1 minutes per game last season. In the 2015-16 campaign, he looks capable of pushing for a starting job at shooting guard. So far, this preseason he has averaged 27.6 minutes and 11.3 points per game..
Both players options remain cheap as Nurkic’s option is for approximately $1.9 million while Harris’ is for around $1.7 million.