Nugg Love Round Table: Denver’s Priority in Free Agency

Mallorie’s thoughts

While it’s still unknown if Danilo Gallinari will exercise his player option or not, many people believe that the veteran will test free agency this summer leaving a hole on the Nuggets roster.  The best fit will also depend on if the Nuggets do choose to resign Mason Plumlee or not. While there are many options for the Nuggets to choose from, I personally think that there are several players who would fit well with the Nuggets.

Gordon Hayward is just 27 years old and a very versatile player, something that the Nuggets need, especially if Gallinari chooses to exercise his player option. Though obtaining Hayward wouldn’t necessarily be cheap, and quite frankly difficult to obtain, he would be a good addition to the Nuggets.

Hayward is averaging 22.1 points per game, 5.5 rebounds per game,  3.5 assists per game, and would look good next to Nikola Jokic.  Paul Millsap is another player that would not come cheap to the Nuggets but he continues to push year after year. The 32 year old power forward is averaging 18.1 points per game and 7.7 rebounds per game and another player that would work well with not just Jokic, but the team overall. Both Hayward and Millsap have player options and it is uncertain if they will test free agency or not.

Denver Nuggets

If Gallinari stays in Denver and the Nuggets choose not to resign Mason Plumlee, two good options as a backup center for Jokic would be Greg Monroe (player option) or Andrew Bogut (unrestricted FA). Monroe has a solid skill set and has career averages of 14.1 points per game, 8.8 boards per game, and 2.3 assists per game. Monroe would be the more expensive option but could potentially be worth it if he would be okay with coming off of the bench.

A healthy Andrew Bogut is a very good defender and with a defensive minded coach like Michael Malone, Bogut would be a good addition to a team that has struggled to play consistent defense all season long. Bogut would be a cheaper option for the Nuggets and they would have a defensive minded big man who has career averages of 10 points per game, 8.9 boards per game, and 1.6 blocks per game. The biggest issue with potentially obtaining Bogut is that he wouldn’t be a player that would be happy coming off of the bench and that’s the position we would need him most in–a second unit center.

Overall, I think there are some very good pieces that would fit nicely into the Denver Nuggets puzzle but all of the aforementioned players would truly only fit into that puzzle if Gallinari chooses to leave and the Nuggets choose not to resign Plumlee.

Obviously these are players that we may not be able to obtain but it’s nice to think about. While it’s uncertain as to what will happen once the season ends for the Nuggets, it’s exciting to know that this team will be great next season and that there are many options out there for this team to take advantage of.